


As it Overtakes Me

by MoonMoment



Series: Tragedy Returns [1]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Five Nights At Freddys, Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach, Gen, Help Wanted, Malhare - Freeform, Pre-Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach, Security Breach, TW Suicide mention, fnaf - Freeform, fnaf gregory, fnaf jeremy, fnaf vanessa, glitchtrap, tw MAJOR character death, tw character deaths, tw child death mention, tw gore mention, tw suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:13:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 57,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28702716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonMoment/pseuds/MoonMoment
Summary: Working on such a high ticket game for such an infamous company should have been an honor and joy to Jeremy. But when a simple mistake causes a nightmare to be unleashed into the computer system and his mind, he finds himself to be the only person able to prevent history from repeating itself, no matter what price that means he will pay.
Series: Tragedy Returns [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2154621
Comments: 60
Kudos: 40





	1. The Circuit Board

**Author's Note:**

> BEFORE YOU READ!!!! This story relies heavily on the "Funtime Freddy was the Trojan Horse" theory. I have the link to the theory I wrote here for you to refer to if you are unfamiliar with it :) https://thefuntimeauditorium.tumblr.com/post/639782896800006144/so-do-you-guys-wanna-hear-my-theory-about-how

It had been months since Fazbear Entertainment hired Jeremy and his friends to make this new game. A little horror game they were using to poke fun at the conspiracy theorists obsessed with the history of their restaurants, and the missing children incidents from decades ago. It was a way to make light of every atrocity that had happened, and control the damage to the company name. Jeremy thought this was in poor taste, especially since those children had living relatives to this day. He could only imagine how those families must feel, watching such a thing displayed as a joke and a hoax, while they still suffered from their losses. However, morals and good feelings didn't pay the bills, so he continued on with the project he was assigned to, programming the VR game Fazbear Entertainment had asked for.

It was a generally good experience, at least when it was just the programmers together. The higher ups in Fazbear Ent. were strange to say the least. They were very cold and harsh, and spoke in hushed tones, as if something was terribly wrong. Jeremy knew they were keeping a secret from everyone, possibly about the reason they were even making this game. They had been told that some indie game maker created some games that were pure libel, and that this VR entry would help bring a good face back to the company.... At least that was what his boss had told him. Jeremy thought it was bullshit, and he felt the company deserved the bad rep it had gotten, even if they claimed the content of those games were exaggerated. He tried to talk about these things to his coworkers, but they all brushed him off, some in fear of getting reprimanded or fired, and some who just thought he was overreacting. The only person who seemed to even talk about it was his best friend Vanessa.

Vanessa was a very sweet person, and smart as hell too. She was the best game designer he knew, and he loved working with her. She was fun and personable, and she made those long days and nights of staring at a screen worth it when they were together. She also enjoyed talking about conspiracies like Jeremy, and was ecstatic to work with Fazbear Entertainment. She always wanted to investigate the company in some way, getting involved with the lore behind the place. She wanted to learn everything she could about the history of it, so this was an absolute dream job to her. There wasn't much to find unfortunately, especially now since everything that remained had burned down or destroyed years ago. The company was also very hush about the events that transpired, God forbid anyone even mention the previous owners of the company around them. They got quite apprehensive even hearing them being spoken about in passing. 

Alas, it was finally the last week of programming, a final moment to put little finishing touches on everything before the game was going to be beta tested. The last few levels were being created, and they had been making great progress. Most of the game was finished already, all except for the FNAF 3 style levels. Jeremy kept getting the team to push back making them, as he felt unnerved by the characters in them. He felt like they were alive somehow, staring into his soul with dark intent. It made him shiver just thinking about it. However, the time came where he would need to push the fear from his mind and work on them to finish this.

He sat with his team at their round table, everyone silently clacking away at their computers. Usually the office was full of laughter and chatter amongst the crew, all of them joking and messing around with the character models to have them do silly things. But today, they began to realize they had no time for fun. Fazbear Ent. was a stickler for deadlines, and any fooling around took precious time from them, time they didn't have to lose during a crunch. Still, Jeremy felt bored out of his skull, and taking one look at his coworkers let him know they felt the same. They all had the same half-lidded eyes and blank expressions, mindlessly working away making animations and rigs for the models to implement later. Jeremy instead worked on the AI portion, hoping to get one major component done to make sure the next few days weren't full of stress. It was what he was best at anyways. Jeremy did consider himself an artist, but compared to his colleagues he knew they could do a better job than him in the 3D field. He appreciated their work, and wanted to make sure everyone was working in their strongest area. 

The door to the office slammed open, causing Jeremy to jump. He had let himself get so into his computer he had forgotten the outside world existed for a moment. The person who brought him back to reality was no other than his boss, Mikhail. The tall and slender man stood in the doorway, holding a decently sized box in his hand. He looked over at Jeremy and pushed his glasses up, "Jerr, do you have a moment?" he asked in an urgent tone.

'No' Jeremy thought.

"Of course, Mick." he said, "What's going on?" he asked, furrowing his brow. Mikhail motioned for Jeremy to come closer, "Follow me. Bring your office key too." he slinked out of the doorway into the hall. Jeremy rolled his eyes as soon as he was out of sight. Leave it to Mikhail to make everything more secretive than it needed to be. He got up with a huff and grabbed his keyring, stuffing it into his pocket as he walked out of the office.

Mikhail was waiting just outside the door, scaring Jeremy who wasn't expecting it. He flinched and sighed, looking and sounding exhausted, "What's going on Mikhail?" 

Mikhail tsked, "I should be asking what's going on with you? You look and sound horrible today." he said with worry. 

Jeremy rubbed his eye and adjusted his glasses, "I feel horrible today, to be honest... I was up till 2 am working on those vent levels and got here first thing in the morning. Feel kinda dead."

Mikhail nodded slowly, trying to show that he understood. He immediately reverted to his chipper tone from before, "Anyways! I need your help... Well, more like Faz Ent needs your help right now." he handed the box over to Jeremy, a metal clinking sound emanating from the inside.

Jeremy raised a brow and opened it to find a set of four circuit boards, all harshly damaged, sitting on top of a manila folder. He made a weird face and looked back up to Mikhail, "Wait, aren't these the circuit boards the people for the Funtime Service need? This isn't my department."

Mikhail huffed, "Trust me, I know that. The team is just really swamped over there because of some new releases and they were wondering if you could get the circuit boards scanned in on your computer and send the files over." he saw Jeremys face and tried to look sympathetic, "Listen, I know we're just as swamped, but I promise you everything will be fine. I already talked to our higher ups and they said they'd be willing to give us a bit of extra time if this takes a while. Everything is okay, Jeremy." He assured him. Jeremy was put at ease just a bit. It was still frustrating having to do another department’s work, especially when he had much of his own to do. He looked up at Mikhail and nodded, "Alright.. tell them I can get it done by the end of the day."

The pair stopped right in front of Jeremy's personal office, and Mikhail looked excited, "That's great! Keep up the good work, champ!" he tousled his hair and walked off. Jeremy scowled and fixed his curls back into place. He hated when Mikhail did that. He was lenient and cool with many things, but that wasn't one of them. He stepped into his office and turned on the light, revealing the furniture and papers lining the walls. At the far end of the room was his computer, a typical setup given to him by Fazbear Ent. for as long as he worked there. It had what was needed for his job, but wasn’t anything special. On the right of the room was a wall of filing cabinets, the shelves all bursting with papers and hardly staying closed. Jeremy made a mental note to fix that later. On the left side of the room was his art desk. It was mostly simple, just having his papers, pens and his works in progress. The only thing of note was the large machine sitting upon it; a guillotine paper cutter. It made it easier to cut papers due to the way it was made, but it still made him feel nervous. He had nightmares of himself losing a hand or even his head to the thing more than once. He walked past it, feeling himself shiver, and sat at his computer. 

As it turned on, he pulled the boards out of the box. There were four in total, all in different states of wear. Thankfully, none of the damage was enough to completely ruin them. He chose one at random, brushing off any extra debris as he booted up the scanning system. He waited until the program gave him the okay signal and put the chip into a processor, watching the system go through the files. It took relatively quickly, and everything looked to be in good shape. No error codes had popped up and nothing was corrupted, thankfully.

He scrolled through the files, recognizing them mostly as AI patterns and base code. Nothing interesting at first until he finally came across a file that gave him identifying information. This character was someone named 'Ballora', one he didn't immediately recognize. He didn't even know that it was a robot that belonged to Fazbear Ent. He pulled out the file from inside the box, assuming it had character info, and looked for her. He grinned as he caught a glimpse of her name, pulling her page out of the folder. His smile faded as soon as he saw what the robot looked like. 

She was a ballerina, all dressed up in blues and purples with her hair pulled back into a neat little bun. Her eyes were fixed shut and her mouth was permanently smiling. She looked rather unnerving to him, and even a bit inappropriate if he was honest. He made a face, "This was for a kids restaurant?" he shook his head and placed the paper back. 

He made a copy of the board’s files through the system, labeling them with Balloras name and sending them over to the Funtime Service people. He hoped they were at least thankful he was doing this for them. He pulled the board out of the system and placed it on top of Balloras paper for safekeeping. 

He grabbed another one of the boards and placed it into the system, waiting for it to process. Thankfully, there weren’t any errors this time either. Jeremy remembered talking to the Funtime Service people before and they often complained that there were issues with the circuit boards often. He felt lucky that these were proving to be much easier to work with. He theorized that may be due to the quality of these robots. Just a basic look at the files told him a lot of care and hard work went into them. The fact that they were made in the 80's was a shock to him. 

He poured through the files to find out this board belonged to a character named Baby. He looked through the papers once more to find a robot that matched that name, immediately recognizing her. She looked straight out of the uncanny valley to him, even more-so than the model Vanessa had made for her in the game. He was always terrified of clowns, and this robot exemplified everything he hated about them; The wild hair, bulbous eyes, and creepy grin that spread across their entire face. He winced and put the paper down, then sent the files through. 

He picked up the next one closest to him and inspected it. It was unlike any of the others in the set. There seemed to be different components to the board, with one section that looked like an add on. It was quite different from the others. He thought maybe it was some special edition robot, or one that was more complex than the others in the set. That, or it had been tampered with. He didn’t care much, as long as he was able to get this done and get back to what he was being paid for.

He entered it into the processor and expected the files to only take a few moments to upload like the others. His brows furrowed as the processing time was displayed, showing half an hour remaining. He rolled his eyes, now finally understanding what the FS workers meant. He cursed himself for acting like this was going to be quick. 

There was nothing he could do until the processing went through besides sit there, but he knew that was going to bore him out of his skull. He looked up at the ceiling around the corners, making sure no active security cameras were around. There were none, so he pulled out his phone, scrolling through social media and checking on the processing time every so often. 

It kept him occupied at least, even though he just wanted to get back to the main office to finish this game already.. What was even on this chip that was making it take so long? He thought back to the extra piece on the board, wondering if that had something that made it hard to process. 

The minutes went by slowly, and Jeremy eventually just started staring at the loading bar, becoming bored of his phone. He felt himself falling asleep, exhausted from the night before and lulled by the quiet humming of the computer. Just as his eyes fluttered shut, he heard a chime play on the system. He rubbed his eyes and looked back to his screen. Confusion immediately flew across his face. The past two boards didn’t have nearly as many files or folders as this one. This board had at least two dozen, all with cryptic and unreadable names. Jeremy guessed they must have been abbreviations of some sort, but for what he didn’t know. He tried to find something that looked legible among the mess. It took him a minute to find, but he finally came across a proper AI file named ‘Funtime Freddy’. He was happy it was another character he recognized from working on Help Wanted. He thought back to when he was coding his level and winced. The bear's voice was so shrill and loud, it made him tense up just hearing it. Pairing that with the clown theme, he simply couldn’t see the appeal. He couldn’t imagine having such a thing come to one’s house for entertainment, but maybe others found it more enjoyable.

He was about ready to make a copy to send over when something caught his eye. There was another folder right at the bottom of the list, one that looked out of place. Every other file held things like songs, routines, and AI codes, all in file formats he recognized, but this was different. He read it slowly, “WLMBCP.RMN…. What the hell is that?” he muttered. Curiosity overtook him, and he needed to know what was in it. He couldn’t stop himself from trying to get an answer.

He clicked on it and tensed up, waiting for his screen to change. He furrowed his brow as nothing happened, the screen still staying on the same page. He clicked the folder again hoping for a result, and it finally went through.

The screen suddenly turned to multicolored pixelated fuzz, the monitor completely unreadable. The computer began to overheat, the fan sounding like a jet engine taking off. The speakers started screeching loudly, a horrid noise that forced Jeremy to cover his ears, wincing. His head pulsed as the horrible sounds proceeded to get louder and louder, becoming completely unbearable to listen to. He opened his eyes and looked around for the power cord to the computer, finding it close to the floor on the left. He took his hands from his head, quickly rushing to the plug and yanking it from the wall, sparks flying from the socket.

Jeremy sighed in relief as the screen went dark and the whirring and screeches broke, leaving the room in an eerie silence. His ears were still ringing, damaged from the horrible noise that had come from the system. He ripped the circuit board from the processor, looking at it with worry. What was that file? What on Earth could have caused something like that to happen? All Jeremy knew was that the FS workers weren’t getting the last two characters on time. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick email out to their manager, letting them know something was wrong with one of the boards and he could only get two to work. He hoped they wouldn’t get angry with him that he hadn’t fully finished the task, but he assured himself that whatever happened wasn’t his fault anyways.

He stuffed his phone back into his pocket and looked back to his desk. It was still strewn with papers and the boards. He went back to it, putting the boards and papers back into the box Mikhail gave him. He picked up Funtime Freddys board, preparing to put it back, but something stopped him. He was enthralled with the device, wondering what was on it. He felt the need to investigate it more, an unknown force pulling him to keep looking into it. Jeremy didn’t know what it was, but he didn’t fight it. He slipped the board into his pocket, making sure no one was watching, and closed the box of boards. He assured himself he would bring it back before anyone noticed. “Just for one night…” he whispered, patting the pocket it was in. 

He slipped out of his office, looking around nervously for any employees who may be in the area. Thankfully for him, there were none to be seen. He walked briskly back to the main office, feeling on edge. He had just stolen company property, and he knew how Fazbear Ent. was when it came to these things. He would be in massive trouble if anyone knew what he had done.

He walked back into the office, smiling wide to look as least suspicious as possible, “Hey everyone! How’s it going?” 

His coworkers simply looked up and gave him tired smiles, saying enough with their body language alone. They were all exhausted, just wanting to have this game done and over with already. Jeremy fully understood how they felt. He flopped back into his chair, and placed his hands on his desk, sighing as he looked back to the coding software in front of him. He tried to remember where he was, skimming through the individual lines to catch himself up. Once he had figured it out, he went straight back to typing, clacking away furiously.

“So, did you have fun back there?” 

Jeremy turned to his right, his coworker Vanessa sitting and waiting for a response. She had her arms folded on top of her desk, leaning forward and looking at him with an expectant expression. He shrugged, “Had as much fun as you can, I guess.” he replied, “The system glitched out when I scanned one of the boards in, which was annoying, but at least it gave me an excuse to come back here.” he looked over to her computer, craning his neck out to see what she was working on, “So, what did you guys get done so far?”

Vanessa grinned, “A lot, actually!” She turned her screen to face him, showing off a screen full of code, “Nora and the others got a lot of the rigs finalized and we’re going to render them tomorrow. I just started doing my own codes for movement opportunities to implement into the system.” 

Jeremy nodded happily, a genuine smile appearing on his face, “So if all goes well, we should be finished in the next two days, right?” Vanessa smiled and shot him a finger guns expression, “You got it, Jerr.” 

Jeremy sighed in relief, leaning back in his plush office chair, “Thank God… I just want to be done with this project already…” he looked back to Vanessa, “Do you know how much my son has been bugging me about this? He’s been constantly asking about when we’ll be done”

Vanessa gave him a surprised look, “Gregory? Isn’t he like six? I didn’t think you would let him play a horror game.” 

Jeremy shook his head, “Oh, no, I’m not letting him play this for a while. He just likes telling people I’m working with Fazbear Ent. and he wants to brag that I helped with this game when it comes out.”

Vanessa smiled brightly, “Aww, he’s proud of you! That’s awesome, Jerr.” she looked back to her computer and continued typing, “I’m excited to finish this myself. Getting kind of sick of staring at these freakshows.”

Jeremy chuckled and nudged her, “Hey, I know you may not get along with everyone, but you don’t have to talk about our coworkers like that.”

Vanessa scoffed and hit his arm, “You know what I meant!” she laughed. Jeremy shook his head and laughed, finally enjoying himself for the first time in that day. Mikhail looked up from his computer and cleared his throat, looking at the two of them with a serious expression. Jeremy and Vanessa immediately quieted down and went back to their computers, clacking away at the codes. They glanced over at each other and bit their lips, holding back another round of laughter. 

Hours passed as the team continued working, the game slowly coming together. Jeremy was so deep into his work that he almost forgot about the circuit board issue, the only reminder being the sharpness of the metal piece in his pocket. Eventually, it came time to leave for the night. The team had gotten substantial work done, and were excited at the prospect of finishing early. The majority of them filed into the parking lot as a group, chatting it up and laughing as they walked to their cars. Jeremy walked alone, his mind now fixated back on this mystery. Vanessa noticed this, and felt a twinge of worry. Jeremy wasn't a solemn person, and she knew that. He was always jovial like he had been earlier. She knew something had happened. She ran up to him, trying her best not to slip on the ice patches covering the parking lot. She called out his name and put her glove hand onto his shoulder, finally catching his attention.  
Jeremy looked a bit shocked, his soft green eyes wide as he looked down to her. He pushed his glasses up his nose, readjusting them as he spoke, "Nessa! Is everything okay?"

Vanessa sighed and folded her arms, "I was coming to ask you the same thing... You looked kinda zoned out and didn’t join everyone else when we came out and you've never done that… I just got a lil worried for you for a moment.." she sounded genuinely concerned for Jeremy, and now he felt bad. He didn’t want Vanessa to think he was upset, and he was afraid that’s how it came across. 

He sighed and gave a sheepish look to his friend, "Oh, I'm sorry Ness.... I'm okay, really. I was just lost in my own head… I keep thinking about that incident with the circuit boards, and-" he carefully pulled the circuit board from his pocket, just enough for Vanessa to be able to recognize it. She looked surprised, and even more worried. If their higher ups found out he took that out of the office, he was screwed. She looked at him, worried, "Jeremy, is that one of the animatronic circuit boards? You’re in so much trouble if someone sees that!” she whispered harshly.

Jeremy slid it back into his pocket and continued, "Don’t worry, no one saw me... But-“ he leaned in close and whispered, “When I was looking through the files, there was some weird folder. It had a weird format, something called .RMNT. I've never even heard of that format before. " he looked around, worried someone might overhear him, "When I opened it, my computer went crazy. It started screeching and sparking and shit. It freaked me out and I don't know what happened so-"

"So you're taking it home to look at it more?" Vanessa asked. She looked genuinely intrigued, curious as to what was going on herself. She gave Jeremy a small smile, "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. Just tell me what you find, or I'm gonna be pissed, ok?" she gave him a joking laugh.

Jeremy shook his head and laughed softly, his eyes crinkling as he smiled, "Of course I'll let you know, Nessa... Have a good night, okay?"

Vanessa waved and walked off towards her car. Jeremy's smile faded into a bit of a serious expression once she was far enough out. He got into his old beater car and drove off, trying to get home as quick as possible. He may have cut a few people off, and he may have gone at speeds that were just a little less than legal, but he couldn't wait to investigate this thing any longer. With nothing to completely distract him, the mystery of what happened in the office was the only thing on his mind. The board felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket.

He practically ran into his house the moment he got out of his car. He fumbled with his keys, his hands shaking as his eagerness grew. He swung open the door violently, causing the organizer on the back to nearly fly off by the force of it. The noise it made as it hit the wall jolted him, making him feel a bit embarrassed over getting so zealous. He carefully closed the door behind him, walking swiftly through his living room to his home office. 

He turned on the light in the room, revealing his computer. It was a handmade PC, built to withstand just about anything. He was proud of his work on it, and he knew that hard work was going to pay off now. He thought maybe the computer at work couldn't handle the circuit board, but this one at home would have no problem. He was sure of it. He sat down in front of his computer and booted it up. As it turned on, he grabbed a hairband from his desk drawer, putting up his bright red hair into a sloppy bun, just enough to keep his hair out of his face. He felt like it helped him focus more.

He opened up a scanning program, one similar to that of Fazbear Entertainments. It wasn't the first time he had to scan any kind of electric boards for a job, so he always kept the program on his system. Jeremy then slowly and gingerly pulled the board from his pocket, admiring it once more. He was fascinated by the piece of machinery, and was curious at what it truly held within. He took a deep breath, praying that it wouldn’t mess up his computer, and placed the board into a slot on his PC. The system recognized it quickly, and began to scan for the files. 

Something curious happened, however. Earlier, it had taken ages to get this scanned. On this computer, it took mere seconds to go through. That shouldn’t have happened, and it made Jeremy very worried. A million horrible possibilities ran through his head at once. He knew he shouldn’t have just pulled the plug like that, and he felt guilt for that curiosity that led him here in the first place. If he had just sent it in like he was supposed to, none of this would have happened.

He composed himself and continued on, pressing the ‘open files’ option on the screen. His face turned to dread once it opened. The board was blank now, not a single file remaining on it. He felt a knot form in his stomach, knowing this was worse than he thought, “What the hell?” he murmured. He sat back in his chair, knowing there was nothing he could do. It was completely wiped, every bit of precious code. There was no way to fix this now. He didn’t know how to code that complex of an AI, and he sure didn’t know how to recreate any skits the character was meant to perform, especially in such a short time. He clasped his hands over his eyes, leaning back in his chair and groaned, “I am in so much trouble…”

He slowly calmed himself down, trying to convince himself that everything was okay. He tried to think of better possibilities that explained this. Maybe that the files just weren’t loading properly on his own computer. He knew Fazbear Ent had special databases needed to access certain files, so that could explain it. He made himself believe this to be the case. As long as he got the board back to his office and the game got beta tested on time, everything would be okay. He could just move on with his life and work on a new project, no big deal. 

He tried to distract himself for the rest of the night, just by doing typical nightly activities. He found an old TV dinner that was a day out of date in his fridge. He knew it probably wasn’t safe to eat, but there wasn’t much else in the kitchen and he didn’t have the energy to make anything else. He popped it into the microwave and leaned against the counter, scrolling through his messages while he waited for the timer to go off. Four minutes later, the shrill beeping of the old appliance rung in his ears. He pulled out his food and sat in front of his TV, turning the channel to "The Classics". It's contents were always corny old shows from the early 2000's, but they did entertain him at least a little bit. 

He picked at the expired steak on the tray, not sure if he should still eat it. He reminded himself he needed to go grocery shopping. Game deadlines had him working himself to death most times, and he always forgot to do these things during crunchtime, a bad habit of his. He let himself fall onto the back of the couch, slumping over as a rerun of "The Immortal and the Restless" played. It was a corny old cartoon about a vampire being a bad dad and his antics, nothing unusual for the times. He didn't see the unironic appeal in it, but apparently it was a hit a few years back. He watched the antics of the characters unfold before him, letting the soft drone of his TV lull him to sleep before his phone buzzed, jolting him awake. He sat up quickly and looked down at his phone screen, bleary eyed as he saw a call icon pop up. It was Vanessa. He felt a little scared, thinking something may be wrong at first. She never called him late at night like this. He quickly pressed the answer button and put it on speaker. 

"Jeremy! I'm really sorry, I know it's late but I really wanted to know what was going on with the board thingy. You find any creepy haunted stuff?" her voice was giddy, a little too giddy for Jeremy's comfort. Vanessa was always a little TOO excited over morbid things.

He sighed and pinched his nose, leaning back on his plush couch, "Ugh... I actually found nothing. The files are gone now and I can't find anything. It must've gotten deleted earlier when the computer glitched out." he said glumly.

Jeremy heard a disappointed sigh on the other end from Vanessa, "Damn..." she lamented, "Well, hopefully we find something before we move to the next project. It would suck to work for Fazbear's of all places and not find something dead or haunted."

Jeremy shook his head and gave a soft chuckle, "You're not giving up on this grim stuff, huh?"

Vanessa laughed a bit on the other end, "I'm just saying! I just think it-" she got cut off mid sentence. Jeremy could hear a garbled voice on the other end, the words being unintelligible to him. Vanessa jumped back into the conversation, "Hey, I need to go. I'm kinda with my family right now and they’re calling me. Do you mind if we talk about this tomorrow?"

"Of course!" Jeremy said, "Go hang out with them, I'll be in the office first thing tomorrow. Have a good night, Ness."

"You too, Jerr!" she said in a sweet voice.

The call hung up and Jeremy's screen went dark again. He got up from the couch and sighed, turning the TV off just as the episode ended. He rubbed his eyes, knocking his glasses to his forehead, and stumbled to his room. He was completely and utterly exhausted, and he just wanted to go to bed at this point. His eyes were strained and dry from staring at a screen all day, and his back hurt from being hunched over a computer.

He didn't even bother taking off his clothes before throwing himself onto his bed. He didn't have the energy to get changed or shower. The springboard creaked as he sunk into his mattress, falling asleep immediately. His sleep was not peaceful however. He had odd dreams to say the least. He was stuck in a huge, dark room, seeing an odd figure skulking around in the distance. He couldn’t make out anything but it’s silhouette, and he wouldn’t dare to move, not wanting to risk being harmed by some unseen object. The noises from the computer incident could be heard at a lower volume, just enough to hurt his ears. But that wasn't all he heard. 

There was a voice. He swore he could hear someone calling out to him, a low tone that was just just barely understandable. All he knew was it was a man's voice, a very drawn out and slowed man's voice. He almost sounded drunk. Jeremy listened closely, trying to make out every word it said. He could only make out one single sentence. 

"Let me out."


	2. Day Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To celebrate a very special occasion, Jeremy takes a break from the bustle of work and spends some quality time with his son.

Jeremy woke up from the odd, twisted dream in a daze. His mind still was trying to make sense of it all. What did it mean? Did it even have a meaning?, "Let me out… What the hell was that about…?" he mumbled, repeating the voice from the nightmare. He shook his head and grabbed his glasses, "Been spending too much time on that damn game..." he grumbled.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up and get ready for the day. He was so ready for this all to be over and done with. That is, if things went perfectly well like he wanted. But if it was with Fazbear Ent., chances are things wouldn't. They never did with this company

He snapped to attention as he heard his phone buzz incessantly. Jeremy felt dread, knowing what an early call could mean. Chances are someone found out that board was missing and reported him for theft. He cursed himself for being so stupid and taking it. He should have known he was going to get caught. Jeremy bit his lip, hoping he wasn’t being called to get reprimanded like he thought. Mikhail was not a kind man when things went wrong, and hearing him yell was a nightmare. He had only heard it once before, and that was enough to keep him sticking to the rules.

He picked up the device and was pleasantly surprised and relieved. It wasn't anyone from work, which he was thankful for. It was Lorianne, his ex as of 3 months ago. He hadn't talked to her in a few days, and he honestly felt pretty bad about it. Oddly enough for a breakup, there wasn't any bad blood between them. The two of them still were great friends and talked frequently, as if everything was completely normal. They didn't hate each other, but did realize a few years into their relationship that it wasn't working in that way. Things just happened and they drifted romantically, but they still made an effort to talk to each other and be there for each other. It worked best for them to have that relationship, and they were happy that way.

That definitely helped the fact that they had a son together. Gregory, their pride and joy, was the best part of Jeremy's life. He would do anything for the kid, and it motivated him to work even harder to become more successful. He alternated between seeing Jeremy and Lori every week, as they both wanted him to see the other and grow up with both of them. Jeremy's week wasn't for another 4 days, however, so it was confusing to him that Lorianne was calling. He hoped it wasn't any kind of emergency, or something terrible happening. He answered her, hoping for a positive response.

To his surprise, it would be nothing of the bad sort. Lori picked up, "Hey Jeremy! Are you going to be over soon?" she asked, a sweet tone in her voice.

Jeremy tensed up, knowing he had screwed up somehow. It wasn't his week, and he was sure it wasn't any kind of holiday or birthday. Why would he need to be there today? He silently prayed it wasn't anything too important. 

Jeremy spoke in a low and soft tone, "Lori, it's not my week right now. Is everything okay?" he asked. He bit his lip, hoping he didn't just say something that would cause an upset. Lorianne was just as confused as him, however, "Jerr, don't you remember what we talked about when you dropped Gregory off last week?" Jeremy remained quiet, not being able to remember what was going on. Lori still remained patient, "Gregory starts first grade tomorrow. I know you won't be able to come by for the first day, so remember we set it up where today you'd take him out? You know, as a little substitute?"

Jeremy finally remembered what he promised, "Shit!" he muttered to himself. He smacked himself upside the head, feeling stupid for forgetting something so important, "Oh God, I'm sorry Lori... I should've already been there. Listen, just let me get dressed and I'll be over. Tell little man I'm coming, okay?" He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, his mind racing. He was going to be in so much trouble.

Lorianne smiled, happy that things were still going as planned. She knew Jeremy could be a little scatterbrained, especially when he worked on a huge project. He could keep a line of code organized to perfection, but the same couldn't be said for the other aspects of his life. Still, he made time for his son and that's all she could ask from him. It's what she appreciated the most.

Jeremy was full on panicking at this point. He needed to get dressed, eat, and do something about work. He ran to his dresser, placing his phone on top. He grumbled to himself, "Damnit, I'm gonna get my ass kicked for this one... What do I-" He then had a thought. He quickly picked up his phone and scrolled through his contacts, pressing on Vanessa's icon. She was always his saving grace in situations like these. He called her quickly, putting the call on speaker as he pawed through his drawers to find something nice to wear out today.

Vanessa picked up rather quickly, happy to get a call from Jeremy, "Hey man! Are you almost here? We got a big day-"

Jeremy interrupted her, frantically, "Hey Nessa, I'm really sorry for cutting you off, but I need you to cover for me. It's important."

Vanessa was confused and paused for a moment, "Are... you okay right now, Jeremy? What do you want me to tell everyone?" She was genuinely concerned for her friend. Jeremy wasn't normally this scared, and he made this sound like an emergency.

Jeremy slipped a black t-shirt over his head, frizzing his hair in the process, and continued to look through his drawers for a jacket, "Listen, I promised Greg I was going to hang out with him today since I absolutely can't miss coming in tomorrow. I know we need to have paperwork in for progress reports so I didn’t want to leave you hanging then… But I didn't ask off for today in time and Mikhail will have my head if I'm out without an excuse. Could you just tell everyone I'm sick or something?" he asked, a pleading and desperate tone in his voice.

Vanessa bit her lip, trying to think of something. She knew how important his son was to him, and she knew how much Greg loved spending time with his dad. She would never do anything to keep him from the little guy. But if she was going to cover for him, she needed a great excuse. Since they started working for Fazbear Ent. their bosses could see through almost any lie, and even found ways around allowing legitimate absences. This needed to be something they couldn’t find a way around.

"Nessa? Are you still there?" Jeremy asked from the other line. Vanessa snapped back to reality, looking up at the giant neon sign overlooking the office building. She needed to think of an excuse now. She spoke in a hushed tone, close to the speaker of the phone, "Don't worry, I have it under control. I'll tell them you threw up, or have a fever, or something. That way they won't ask any questions."

Jeremy sighed in relief, "You're a lifesaver, Ness. I'll see you tomorrow first thing, I promise." he assured. He didn't want her or the team to think he was flaking out on them during such an important time. Vanessa simply smiled and responded, "Sounds good, Jeremy. Have fun with Gregory!" 

She hung up and huffed. She wasn't angry, but she did feel upset that she was the one left to deal with the boss. She would stand with her coworkers through nearly anything, but she didn't want to be the one to do the dirty work. She sighed and composed herself, readying herself to talk to Mikhail.

Jeremy slipped on a thick, green flannel jacket over his arms. It was perfect for the weather, and comfortable too. He ran past a small, cracked mirror on his wall, staring at the mess of orange waves piled on his head. He huffed and ran his fingers through it until it looked at least presentable. Jeremy wasn't exactly known to try and impress with looks, after all. It was never something that was important to him.

He grabbed his phone and checked the time; 8:15. He was still on pace to go get Gregory, which was good. As he walked through his house to go grab his wallet and keys, he tried to think of what to even do with the kid . He always spent time with him, and it was always quality, but he needed to think of big things to do for the day. He wanted to do something special for such a big occasion. Something that he would remember for years to come. 

He stuffed his wallet into his pocket and swung his keys around on his finger, listening to the metal clack together. He whistled some old tune as he made his way towards the door, a spring in his step as he walked along. He slipped on his beat up Nikes and made his way out to his old van, speeding over to Lori's house.

He had happy thoughts in his mind, thinking about his family and future prospects at work. He wasn't making too much money at the moment, but he loved his work and he thought if he continued long enough he may get more successful. He thought of the good things he could do for his family, the things he could provide for his son in the future. It made it all worth it to him. He smiled, thinking of all these good things he could do. However, his thoughts would soon spoil. The thoughts of happy dreams were quickly replaced with thoughts of that nightmare he had. He tried to push it from his head, not wanting it to overtake his day, but he couldn't help but try to analyze it.

Jeremy tried to remember all the little details. He was stuck in a dark room, only able to see a few inches out in front of him. The floor beneath him looked like a checkerboard, and it was the only thing he was able to make out. He could see little glinting objects hanging from the ceiling over his head, though he wasn't too sure what they may be. Probably little mobiles or something of the sort. Besides that, there was no indicator as to where he was, or what was going on. The voice he heard just threw him off more. It just repeated itself, over and over, "Let me out, let me out." It was a chilling voice. It was deep, soft, and accented. He couldn't tell who it was, unfortunately. He hadn't ever heard someone speak like that in Utah of all places. It was just one big puzzle to him, a puzzle he was determined to solve.

He shook his head and sighed, coming to a stop in front of a small house in a suburban area. Lori was definitely the opposite of him when it came to presentation. Every bit of her home was trimmed to perfection. The chiffon paint on the siding looked brand new, and everything was very cleaned to perfection. Patterned curtains tied back with ribbon hung in the windows. The lawn was manicured beautifully, a trail down it's middle leading to a garden along the front side of the house. Flower bushes in every color you could imagine lined the front siding. It was beautiful, showing great signs of care, and it was something Jeremy missed about her. He let things go when they had split, and the grand compliments he had for her couldn't be applied to him. 

He stepped from his car, placing his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he walked up the yard. He didn't even make it halfway there before the screen door slammed open, a little boy making a mad dash from it. Gregory ran with open arms to his dad, smiling brightly. Jeremy knelt down and held his arms open, scooping him up. He stood up carrying Gregory, and gave him a warm hug. He looked down at the boy, smiling, "I take it someone is happy I'm here?" he asked.

Gregory nodded quickly, his brown hair bouncing up and down with his movements. He gave a toothy grin and spoke quickly, "Yeah! Mama said you were gonna come and have fun with me today!" he raised a brow curiously, "We're gonna do fun stuff, right?"

Jeremy laughed a bit and nodded, "Don't worry, bud, I have a ton of ideas," he was lying. He knew he was playing it by ear, "But listen, today is a very special day to celebrate, so we'll go out and do whatever YOU think is fun."

Gregory scrunched up his face, his little brown eyes squinting, smiling even wider, "Good, cuz your SUPER old! And I’m a kid so I know all the cool stuff." he said, a cheeky tone in his voice. He gave a proud expression and folded his arms, "So I'll teach you." Jeremy was a little taken aback, and amused, "Now where do you hear this kind of stuff, you little rascal?" he asked, raising a brow. Greg just laughed in response.

He was broken away from the conversation as he heard someone draw near. He looked past Gregory to see Lori standing just 2 feet away from him. She stood stiff in stature, though her face was very warm and kind. She smiled at the two of them, happy to just see them enjoying themselves. She looked straight to Jeremy and spoke softly, "Thank you for doing this... When I told him you were taking him out last night he had everything packed in minutes." she held up a little green backpack and looked to Gregory, "Speaking of which, someone forgot this when he ran out here." Gregory quickly reached out for it, drawing it close to his chest, "Thank you, mama." he said softly.

Lori nodded in response. She looked back up to Jeremy and continued speaking, "The only thing I ask is to have him back by 7 at the very latest. He needs to be in bed by 8 for tomorrow."

Gregory went limp in Jeremys arms, flopping backwards and going limp, "Ughh why that early?" he pouted. Lori raised an eyebrow giving him a warning look, "You know exactly why, don't play games. We need you to be ready for such a big day. Now go have fun, okay?"

Gregory sat back up and reached out to her for a parting hug, flexing his hands as if he was grabbing for her. Lori embraced him and kissed him on the forehead, "I love you, mijo. Be good for your dad, ok?" Gregory nodded and turned back to Jeremy, a giddy look on his face. Lori looked to Jeremy and gave him a soft smile and a wave before turning back to go inside. Jeremy felt a little disappointed at the interaction, feeling a bit slighted. He tried not to take it personally. This was still a new thing for the both of them, and that made it just a bit awkward. It still stung a bit. Even though they were friends, she still acted a little strange when she was in the same place with him. It made him feel out of place, but he tried to be understanding regardless. 

He looked down to Gregory and smiled, "So... if you know so much about ‘cool stuff’, what should we go do first today?" Gregory thought hard, tapping his finger on his cheek as he tried to think of what they could do. His face lit up as he had an idea, "Oh! Mama and I went to the store and there was this place with games in it. Like, BIG screens with games and pretty boxes around 'em." 

Jeremy raised a brow, trying to guess what he meant, "An arcade? Is that what you mean?" Gregory shrugged, "Maybe. I dunno what it's called. Mama said we had to get home so we didn't go, but I wanna see it!" he gave Jeremy a giddy smile, bouncing up and down excitedly. He hoped Jeremy would say yes.

Jeremy smiled, his green eyes crinkling shut, "I think that's a good idea, kiddo. I think I know where it is too!" Gregory looked even more excited. Jeremy leaned in a bit and whispered, "And don't tell your mother, but how about you get to ride in the front seat today?"

Gregory's eyes lit up, his jaw dropping, "Next to you in the big kid chair?! Really?!" he asked excitedly. Jeremy laughed, walking towards the car with Gregory in his arms, "Yup! It's going to be great, trust me." He opened the passenger side door and placed Greg down on the seat, buckling him in. He placed the little green backpack next to him and shut the door, going around to his side. He checked one last time to make sure Lori didn't see. She was the more protective one of the two, and she would definitely not approve of this. He saw the coast was clear and sat down in the driver's seat, starting up the car. Gregory looked excited as he heard the engine rev up, giggling happily. He was having a perfect morning, and he kept getting more and more excited. 

Jeremy drove down the backroads to get to that old arcade. Even if he let Gregory sit up front, he still wasn't comfortable driving on any main roads. Who knows what kind of horrid drivers would be out today. Gregory just stared out the window, his eyes just barely peeking over the edge of the door. He was lost in his own little world, feeling the cool breeze hit his face and tousle his hair. He played with the little lock mechanism on the edge of the window frame, pulling it up and pushing it down rhythmically.

Jeremy felt a little awkward in the silence, and tried to start up a conversation, "So... what are you most excited about for school?" he asked. Gregory turned back facing forward in his seat and crossed his arms, "I dunno... Max says it's super boring...." Jeremy raised a brow, "Who's Max?" Gregory's face lit up, "Oh, he lives next to mama's house! He's bigger than me, so he's already been to school. He said it's gross." he sounded upset and looked nervous for the next day.

Jeremy sighed and shook his head, "You know, maybe that's just him. I thought it was pretty fun when I was a kid." he was lying and he knew it. He absolutely dreaded school as a kid, but he needed to make sure Gregory didn't have that mindset, "I think you'll like it." he said in a calm voice. Gregory didn't look entirely convinced, but still gave Jeremy a smile to show he was listening.

The car rocked a bit as Jeremy stopped in front of the strip mall. He looked around, believing it to be what Gregory was talking about. The grocery store Lori frequented was to his left, and he believed he saw a sign for an arcade as he came into the plaza. He looked down at Gregory and smiled, "You ready to go?"

Gregory nodded excitedly, fumbling with his seatbelt. He clicked it off and grabbed his backpack, kneeling on the seat and waiting for Jeremy to open the door. As soon as it clicked open he hopped into his arms, buzzing in excitement. He loved spending time with his father, especially when he got to go out places with him. It was the absolute best to him, and he couldn’t wait for days like these. Jeremy smiled softly, knowing Gregorys excitement meant he was doing something right. He walked down the strip, looking into storefront windows for the arcade. He passed by the typical places you would see; a Dollar Store, hair salon, little take out restaurants, and a nail salon. He made it halfway down the strip when he came across the arcade. It was mostly empty, save for a small group of teens in the back huddling around a game cabinet. Jeremy wasn't surprised, as arcades had been going out of fashion quickly with bigger and better home consoles. While it was a shame, it meant they would be mostly unbothered inside. That at least was a plus to him.

He walked into the door, a little windchime signalling his arrival. He set Gregory down on the floor, holding onto his hand still to make sure he didn't run off, "Stay close to me, okay?" he said. Gregory nodded and held on tight to his hand, though he wished he could just go explore. The place was a labyrinth of colors and sounds. The carpet was purple with stars in every color of the rainbow, all in a mesmerizing pattern. The game cabinets were bright neon colors, all with familiar characters on the sides of them. Overlapping noises of sound effects, music, and characters speaking bombarded his ears. It was a little overstimulating, but he wanted to get closer to it all. It drew him in like a moth to a flame.

He didn't even notice Jeremy practically dragging him to the front counter until they were already there. He couldn't see over it, only into the window below showing off little prizes that could be won with tickets. Just little trinkets, really. Toy bugs, plastic rings, slinkies, you name it, were all down there. They were treasures to Gregory though. He was completely mesmerized by them, leaning in so close his forehead was touching the glass.

Jeremy finally got the attention of a middle aged man who was stocking the larger prizes up top. He turned to him, almost surprised to see another person in the arcade. He gave Jeremy his best customer service smile, his wrinkly face scrunching as he spoke, "Hey there! Didn't expect to see anyone else at my counter." 

Jeremy gave a smile in acknowledgement, "Yeah, my little guy saw this the other day and asked me to bring him. He's starting school tomorrow so I wanted to do something special for him." he looked down at Gregory, who was still entranced by the toys under the counter. The man at the counter suddenly had a genuine smile, "That's great for you two. I hope you enjoy it here." he pointed to a small handwritten sign to his left propped up on a plush bear, "We've got some really good deals for the rest of the month too, so it's perfect that you've shown up today."

Jeremy's looked to the sign and was taken aback by how low token prices were. The most expensive deal was only 25 dollars, and for 300 tokens no less. He looked back to the man, confused, "Mr..." he looked at his nametag, "Mr. Tyson.... Tyson, are you sure they're supposed to be this low? I'd feel awful ripping off a small business like that." he said, concern in his voice. 

Tyson grumbled and leaned back against the display behind him, "Unfortunately, those are correct. We're closing at the end of the month, so we're basically giving stuff away at this point." He shook his head and pointed out the front window, "A few blocks down that way that Fazbear Entertainment place is building that indoor theme park thing... The "Mega Pizzaplex"." he said, contempt in his voice, "We can't compete with that company, especially if it's so close by. We have to close, maybe move further out."

Jeremy nodded slowly, understanding Tyson's issue. He felt a twinge of guilt for working with the company, not realizing how it was further harming people by reopening. It seemed no matter what the company did, someone was always getting hurt. He gave Tyson a sympathetic smile and pulled 25 in cash from his wallet, "Here. hopefully this can help." 

Tyson put the cash in a till bag and slid a small bucket of tokens to Jeremy, "Thanks for the thought, kid." he said in a soft voice. Jeremy looked down to Gregory and tapped his shoulder, Hey, you ready to go play?'" Gregory stood still, still staring at the prizes in the counter window. Jeremy tried again, "Gregory? You good down there?" 

The little boy finally snapped to attention, looking at Jeremy with wide eyes. He genuinely had tuned Jeremy out, and hadn't heard anything he said. He quickly smiled and grabbed Jeremy's hand again, practically dragging his father once he saw the tokens, "Okay then!" Jeremy said with a bit of surprise. He followed Gregory to the cabinets and looked around at them. They were definitely more modern style games, ones he wasn't quite used to. He remembered the old cabinets his dad had in the garage when he was a kid, little 8-bit games that meant the world to him. He was happy to see how far technology had progressed, though he did feel nostalgic for the old days. It reminded him of the happiest parts of his life.

He came to a stop when he felt a tug on his hand. Gregory piped up, "Can we do this one?" Jeremy looked to what Gregory was motioning towards and his face lit up. All the way in the back was a row of classic skeeball cabinets, the ones he remembered from his own childhood. He looked down to Gregory and smiled, "Of course! Come on." The pair walked to a set of open games and started them up. the balls were released into the holding tray and the game began. Gregory picked up one of them and looked up to his father confused, "What do I do?" 

Jeremy kneeled beside him and picked up another ball, "Look at this, you just take one of these..." He drew his arm back and threw the ball forward, watching it sink into the middle hole at the end. He stepped aside and motioned for Gregory to do the same. The little boy had the biggest smile on his face as he launched it up the runway, jumping up and down as it sunk, adding more points to his scoreboard. He looked at Jeremy, excited, "Didya see it?!" he asked excitedly. 

Jeremy smiled and tousled his hair, "You're doing a good job, kiddo." he turned back to his own cabinet, and played a bit more seriously than his son. He was always a competitive person, and he was known for trying to get the best scores as possible, and as many tickets as he could. Gregory was just having fun throwing the balls, and wasn’t nearly as concerned with points or tickets. Jeremy wasn't even halfway through his set when Gregory was already going for more tokens to play again, "You're really enjoying this one, huh?" he asked. Gregory kept his eyes glued on the game, only nodding to show acknowledgement. Jeremy played along, just staying by the cabinets to keep an eye on him.

Jeremy didn't think he'd have the patience for it, but Gregory blazed through at least two dozen more games, completely fixated on the lights and sounds emanating from the cabinet. After a while Jeremy just stood there, stacking the loads of tickets that were amassing. He was just glad Gregory was having fun. Though, by the time he realized that half the bucket of tokens was empty, he thought maybe he should say something. He didn't exactly want to spend the entire day at one game, after all. 

"Hey bud, do you wanna go do something else now?" he asked gently, "You've been here for a little while..." Gregory threw another ball and looked up at Jeremy, finally getting out of the zone, "Oh... did I use up all the coins?" he asked. Jeremy shook the bucket a bit, "Oh, it's not that. You've just been playing this for an hour... you want to do something else?" he asked. He held up the 6 inch thick stack of tickets, showing just how much he had gotten in that time. Gregory's eyes lit up and he smiled, "Okay! Let's go!" he ran off in a random direction, not even sure what game he was going to. Whatever just seemed the flashiest was good enough to him. Jeremy just diligently followed, helping him out with whatever he needed along the way. The two had great fun. They competed in a lot of games together, though Jeremy always let Gregory win, and they made sure to keep collecting tickets. Gregory didn't understand what they were for, or why they were so important, but he made sure he was keeping a hold of them.

Another hour passed and the final token had been used. Gregory handed the bucket to Jeremy and looked up at him smiling, "Are we gonna go home now?" he asked. Jeremy held up the stacks of tickets and motioned towards the counter, "Not yet... Come over here." He led Greg over to the counter where Tyson still stood and placed everything on the table. The old man took a look at the stacks and shook his head in disbelief, "Listen, I'm not gonna bother to count this. You two can just pick something from the top." He pointed to the shelf near the ceiling, one stacked with the largest plush toys a kid could want, and some other high ticket items. Gregory was still just staring at a little, green, plastic caterpillar at the bottom, not even knowing about the plushies. Jeremy lifted him up so he could get a better view of the things available. He pointed to the top shelf, "What do you like up there, kiddo?" he asked.

Gregory tilted his head to the side, looking at all the options in front of him. It didn't take long for him to make a decision, as he caught a glimpse of a beautiful white rabbit plush at the top. It wasn't that big, only being around 2 feet, but it was covered in the softest fur, with the biggest pink eyes he had ever seen. It was finished off with a beautiful blue ribbon around its neck. It was absolutely perfect to Gregory. He didn't even have to tell Jeremy he wanted it, he was able to take one look at Gregory's face and just know what it was he wanted. He motioned to the stuffed doll and Tyson brought it down, placing it straight into Greg's arms. He squeezed it tightly, feeling the soft fur brush against his skin. He looked up to Jeremy with the biggest smile on his face, "Thank you!" he yelled out in excitement. Jeremy smiled down at his son and held him closer, "Anything for you, Greg." he looked back to Tyson, "Thank you.. and good luck with all of this." The old man just gave a curt nod and turned back to cleaning behind the counter. Jeremy walked back out to the car with Gregory in tow, watching happily as the boy examined his new toy in a trance. 

Back in the car, Jeremy just started driving around for a bit, killing time until either of them had an idea of what to do. Gregory was trying to shove the toy rabbit into his backpack, an attempt that proved to be futile as the bag was too small. Jeremy chuckled a bit, "I don't think that's working, buddy. You're just going to have to carry him." 

Gregory pulled what he had actually gotten in the bag back out and hugged the rabbit, "That's okay. I still love it!" he buried his face back into it, hugging it tightly. Jeremy smiled, "So what's his name then?" Gregory looked up at him a little confused. Jeremy continued, "You should give him one... I mean, I did with all of my stuffies as a kid."

Gregory held the rabbit out in front of him, studying every bit of it. A name needed to fit perfectly, and be something he loved. He tried to think of something he liked, something fitting for such a perfect toy. A smile ran across his face as he got the perfect idea, "Chips!" he exclaimed. Jeremy bit his lip to hold back a laugh, not wanting Gregory to get upset, "Chips... as in the food? What made you think of that?"

Gregory held Chips closer, "Well.. I love chips and I love him... so I named him that!" in his little mind, such a thing meant perfect sense to him. Jeremy was glad he had creativity like that at his age. He smiled softly and tried to focus back on driving. He looked down at the dashboard clock to see it was 12:30. He hadn't realized it had been that long already. Time went by fast in the arcade, faster than he expected. He only had a few more precious hours with Gregory until next week, and he wanted to make the best of it. 

"Hey, it's getting a little late. Let's get lunch and we'll head back home, okay?" he said, pulling into the nearest drive-thru around. Gregory spoke up, "Oh! Can we watch movies when we go home? Mama doesn't have a lot of kid ones yet..." Jeremy smiled softly, "Of course... I still have most of them right now. We can pick one out when we get back and get a few together for you to bring back to her house." Gregory gave him a big smile and flopped straight back into his seat. Jeremy ordered for the both of them and headed straight back to his home. 

Gregory already had his seatbelt off before Jeremy parked. He was far too excited to wait for his father to walk around to the passengers side. He was used to Jeremy's home, as it was the one everyone lived in before the split. He missed it a lot, and he was always happy seeing it every other week. It felt more comforting, much more safe to him. He hopped out of the car and ran up the front walk, bouncing excitedly as he waited for Jeremy to catch up with him. He walked over, bags in tow, and unlocked the door. Gregory immediately ran past Jeremy to the kitchen table. Jeremy took a quick look around nervously, trying to make sure the place wasn’t too messy. He was definitely in that crunch week mode, that being him neglecting household chores. It wasn't too bad, thankfully. Just a little clutter here and there. He didn’t want Greg to see the place in disarray, and he knew he had to be a good example, so he felt at ease knowing it wasn’t that bad.

He placed the takeout bags on the coffee table and looked at Gregory who was still in the kitchen. He was sitting quietly, his hands gripping the edge of the table. Chips laid on his side right on top of the table. Jeremy tilted his head over and motioned for him to come over, "Come on, aren't you going to pick out a movie?" 

Gregorys eyes went wide, in excitement and surprise, "Mama never lets me eat in the living room..." Jeremy sat back on the couch and motioned to him, "Well, I said you can, so come here." Gregory immediately hopped down from the chair and sat next to Jeremy, holding Chips close to his chest. Jeremy flipped through a bunch of old kids movies on the TV, waiting for Gregory to pick one out. He got to an old Disney movie and Gregory stopped him, having him keep it on. Jeremy knew the movie well; an old Renaissance era movie called ‘Beauty and the Beast’. It was just over two hours long, so it wouldn't interfere with any schedule he had to keep. 

The two of them ate their takeout as the movie played; one about a young girl who finds a horrible beast in a castle and magical items that sang and danced. Gregory was entranced by it, completely absorbing every bit of the story. Some of it was scary to him, especially when the town stormed the castle near the end, but he was too invested to look away. Jeremy wasn't too into a movie like that, as the story wasn’t suited to his tastes, but he was still content to watch it. It reminded him of watching the old classics with his own father as a child. He was glad to have memories like that with his own son. 

By the time the ending scene concluded and the characters had their 'Happily Ever After', Gregory was fast asleep leaning against his father. Jeremy turned off the tv and got up slowly so as to not wake him. The child fell onto his side, still grasping his rabbit doll. Jeremy grabbed the old quilt that hung over the back of the couch and laid it over him, knowing Greg needed a blanket to sleep. He walked off to the kitchen, stepping softly until he believed himself to be out of earshot. 

He pulled out his phone and checked the time; 3:35. He still had time with Greg, thankfully. He didn't want to be in a rush. He noticed something underneath the time widget, a notification from Vanessa. All it said was "Call me.". His chest clenched. Vanessa was never that curt with texting. She always typed like punctuation didn't exist, and nearly every text had some sort of emoji attached, usually ones that didn’t make sense. However, this was serious, and he didn't like it. He begrudgingly called her, each dial tone that played causing him more and more dread. He heard a click and went to speak. 

Vanessa beat him to it, "Jeremy, something's wrong..." her voice was warbling. She sounded like she was scared, and that wasn't okay. She continued, "I-I... listen, whatever that last board was that got scanned in, had some kind of virus on it. People's computers are glitching out and going crazy. People are getting weird messages on their accounts and some are getting locked out. When you come in tomorrow, can you please bring that thing back in? They're trying to find it so they can check if it was even legit..." she got a bit choked up, “The higher ups went off on Mikhail about it so he started yelling at us and it got really stressful…”

Jeremy felt completely confused and upset. Crazy things only happened when he was gone, but this was by far the craziest. He couldn't comprehend what was going on, "Jeremy?" Vanessa called out, checking if he was still on the line. Jeremy snapped back, "God, I'm so sorry Nessa…. Yes, I'll bring it back immediately.... Just stay calm. Viruses happen all of the time and-"

She cut him off, "Jeremy you put that into the FS service database. It should have only been there, and now everyone is having issues. This virus is nothing like I’ve seen before either. It's acting like it's sentient... I'm scared..." there was a bit of silence on both ends as Jeremy came to that realization. This was definitely a most curious turn of events, one he didn’t fully grasp yet. Vanessa continued on, "But, I do have some good news... We did finish the final level today before all of this happened. MIkhail wants you to start beta testing tomorrow. Obviously, we're gonna have glitches, but it's completed to a playable point."

Jeremy sighed in relief, thankful that his time with this hellscape of a company was coming to an end. He could just get testing done and leave now, no longer having to worry about any of this haunted , creepy mess. He smiled and leaned against the counter, "Can't wait to come in then... Thank you for letting me know Nessa."

Vanessa stayed quiet for a bit, not returning the relief or enthusiasm. She finally responded, "Yeah.. listen, I need to talk to you about something else really important tomorrow... Just..." she sighed, "Please don't be angry with me..." she said quietly.

Jeremy pursed his lips and stayed quiet, worried another bad had happened, "I couldn't get angry with you, Nessa…” he assured her, “Whatever it is, it'll be okay..."

Vanessa gave a small smile, feeling a bit reassured. She looked down at her desk to her Security Position Confirmation paperwork for Fazbear Ent. , and her 2 weeks notice for Jeremy and the game design company. She fumbled with a pen, clicking it nervously "Okay... have a good night, Jerr... say hi to Gregory for me." 

Jeremy smiled, "Good night, Nessa..." Vanessa hung up on him and he put his phone back into his pocket. His smile quickly faded as he began to think about what was happening. He walked briskly to his computer room and turned on the light. He grabbed the circuit board off of his desk and looked at it intently. How could such a small thing cause such a huge issue in the office? What was the true nature of it? He gruffed and clenched it in his fist. This was going to make beta testing hell. He slipped it into his work bag and sighed, running his hands through his hair to calm himself.

And what did Vanessa mean? What had she done that would get him angry? He couldn't even think of something. He and Vanessa got along perfectly fine, and he couldn’t think of the last time she made him truly angry. He just hoped she was okay. She sounded scared, and it worried him deeply. He would find out what was going on tomorrow, but he didn't want to wait any longer. He had half a mind to just call her back and ask. He decided not to, knowing she probably wasn't in the headspace to talk about it. 

He sat back down on the couch next to Gregory, who was still passed out. He leaned back onto the plush backing and scrolled on his phone, killing the time while Gregory was asleep. Gregory did tend to get cranky if woken up too soon, so he didn’t dare wake him. Time passed, multiple hours by that point when Jeremy heard a knock on his door. Gregory shot up, his blanket falling to the floor. Jeremy looked confused, as no one was even expected to come over. He thought maybe it was Vanessa, as it would make the most sense. He looked down to Gregory, "Stay here for a second, okay?" Gregory nodded and Jeremy made his way towards the door.

He opened it to find Lori, standing out on the front porch. She looked a little tense, probably from being back at a house that held so many memories. She was looking around at all the wear that had happened in just a few months. She expected it, knowing Jeremy didn't exactly have a lot of time to spend on such things. It still stung however, as she did put a lot of care into the place. She finally looked to Jeremy and gave him a soft smile, "Hey, is Gregory ready to go?" she asked. Jeremy felt a twinge of fear and Lori could see it on his face. She raised a hand, "You aren't late, don't worry! It's only 6:40. I just came to pick him up instead so it could be easier on you." 

Jeremy sighed with relief, "Oh thank God... You had me worried there, Lori..." he looked back into the house and smiled, "Gregory! Get your shoes on, mama's here."

Gregory's head peeked over the couch, his eyes wide. He caught a glimpse of Lori who gave him a warm smile and a wave. He smiled brightly and jumped off the couch, grabbing Chips and his backpack. He slipped on his shoes that were next to the couch and ran full speed towards the door. Jeremy stepped out of the way so he could reach Lori. She knelt down to get on his level and enveloped him in a big hug. Gregory held on to her tight, "Mama, you're here! Look!" he shoved the plush rabbit in her face, causing her to jump back a little. Once she got a good look at it she took the rabbit and smiled sweetly, "Aww, where did you get him from?" she asked.

Gregory completely ignored the question and kept talking, bouncing up and down excitedly, "His name is Chips and I love him!" Lori looked to Jeremy for an explanation, an eyebrow raised and an amused expression on her face, "He wanted to go to that arcade by the grocery store and he won him today." he explained. Lori looked back down to Gregory with a warm expression, "That's great, mijo! Did you have fun today?" she asked in a soft voice.

Gregory nodded excitedly, "Yeah! We played games and watched movies, and-" he suddenly stopped and his smile faded, "but I gotta go back now.." Lori sighed, "Aww, you know you have to go to school... And hey, it's going to be you and daddys week in a few days, okay? You'll see him soon." 

Gregory still looked a bit glum,"Okay..." he said quietly. He turned to face Jeremy and reached out his arms. Jeremy scooped him up and held him close, "I'll see you soon, okay? Be good at school tomorrow, kiddo." he said softly with a smile. He handed Gregory back to Lorianne and waved them goodbye as they went to her van. He went back inside and sighed, the happiness of today being replaced with the dread of going to the office tomorrow. Between Vanessa and this glitch business, he knew work was not going to be good tomorrow. Whatever was to happen, he knew it was going to end very badly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter 2! I wanted to do a chapter to set up Gregory and Jeremy's characters and I very much enjoyed doing so! Next chapter will really be getting deep into the plot, and the real story begins!


	3. The Worst is Yet to Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the first day of beta testing. All seems well at first, but an unwelcome guest invites himself into Jeremy's life, and things are about to turn for the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for minor injury and blood

Jeremy was sick of this dream already. The odd and terrifying one from the night before had come back yet again, but this time more detailed. He could make out a few shapes in the dark, just enough to know what some items were. He saw chairs and tables, covered in little trinkets and decorations you would find at a party, though they were all hard to fully make out. Streamers and little silver stars hung from the ceiling, spinning slowly. He caught glimpses of what he thought may be balloons as well. But the most prominent thing in this version of the dream was a new stimuli, a faint stench in the air. It was a mix of something rotten and musty. As if something dead was in the room with him. If he could have thrown up in a dream, he would have.   
He looked around, unnerved and scared by the silence and lack of activity in the room. He was scared something may pop out at him, take him by surprise. He shivered, thinking of something being in there with him that he couldn’t see. That's when he started hearing things. Soft footsteps, sounding almost plush against the tiles of the party room. They were far off in a corner, gaining closer and closer until he could sense something close behind him. The smell became even worse as this creature grew closer. He stood stiff as he felt a soft, fur covered hand on his shoulder and hot breath next to his ear. The soft and almost elegant voice rang out again, "Let me out....." it whispered.

Jeremy snapped awake in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. He sat up and looked around, relieved to see his own bedroom replace the party room. He rubbed his eyes and put on his glasses before he lumbered over to his dresser to get ready for work. He knew today was going to be a long one, especially with all of the issues the company was having. He decided on wearing a nice green sweater and black jeans; comfortable enough to sit in all day and formal enough for Fazbear Ent. standards.   
He grabbed his work bag, making sure the circuit board was still there, and headed out for his commute. He was making good time, and he would actually be there before he needed to. It was a first for him, as he was usually scraping by with a few seconds before the clock-in time most days. 

It took him about half an hour to drive in, giving him ample time to use. He walked swiftly to his office, trying not to alert anyone. He knew he was in trouble for skipping work the other day, and he didn't want to get yelled at first thing in the morning. As he skulked around, he sighed in relief as he finally made it to the game development area. As he walked into the hall, he saw Vanessa standing in front of his office door looking nervous. She was pale, her face white as if she had seen a ghost. Her green eyes were wide and glossy as well. she pulled on her blonde curls, trying to calm herself down. Jeremy walked up to her, a caring and worried look on his face, "Ness? Are you okay?" 

Vanessa jolted up, not expecting Jeremy to be there. She looked ready to burst into tears, "Jeremy, I-" she saw the absolute worry on his face and sighed, knowing what she needed to do. She pulled out a letter and a form, a small stack of papers, and handed it to Jeremy, refusing to look him in the eyes. She looked down at her feet, crying, tiny tears hitting her flats. Her eyes blurred as they welled up.. 

Jeremy looked through the paperwork and his heart sunk. It was a letter of resignation, and all the paperwork she needed to fill out to leave the game design company. He felt upset, and even a little betrayed. He didn't expect Vanessa to just leave the company like that, especially after such a project like this. He thought things were looking up for them, and that she would want to stay in a growing workplace. He looked up at her in disbelief and shook his head slowly, "Vanessa... I... what is this?" he asked, his voice melancholy.

Vanessa hugged herself tightly, trying to hide herself in her puffy coat, "F-Fazbear Ent. told me that they have jobs in the Megaplex... In security, to be exact. They offered to pay me double of what I make now, and it just looked perfect." she looked at Jeremy with a determined expression, "Jeremy, I appreciate everything you and this company have done for me. I love this job and what I do, but I need to do what's best for me money-wise. I'm moving on... I'm sorry." She completely broke into tears, "I understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore or if you’re angry..."

Jeremy sighed and hugged her tightly, "Oh God, Nessa, I'm not angry, I promise. I'm disappointed, but I couldn't be angry with you. You're doing something to help yourself and I can't stop you from that... I'm proud that you're doing this. Don't feel like this about it, I would never want that for you."  
Vanessa hicked, "Y-you mean it? You're really not mad?" she asked, her voice hopeful. Jeremy gave her a soft smile, "Of course, Ness... Now, I want you to enjoy these last two weeks. Please, just try to be positive.And remember that you can still talk to me, even when we aren't working together." 

Vanessa hugged Jeremy back, a weary smile on her face, "Thank you Jeremy... I appreciate it.” she looked down at the paperwork and sighed, “I gotta go give these to Mikhail, then…. Thank you again for this…” Jeremy smiled softly, "You're welcome... Now, I have to go start with round one of testing. I wanna be able to get that done asap so we can work on paperwork, so I'll see you in a bit."  
Vanessa composed herself, and nodded, “Of course… See ya soon!” she gave him a curt wave and walked briskly back to the main office.

Jeremy simply nodded and slipped into his office, shutting the door behind him. His smile faded as soon as it clicked. He was happy for Vanessa, truly loving that she found a calling, but he felt upset at the same time. He enjoyed working with her, and seeing her leave like this hurt so much. He wanted her to be happy though, so he was going to let her go. He needed to, even though work would be that much harder without her around.  
He looked over to the main computer. Someone had everything set up, and the computer was already on. It was likely Vanessa, just doing a little thing to try and make things just a little bit easier. He looked next to him on the wall to the clock-in slider and put his ID through. After the green light turned on he went to his computer and put on the VR headset. 

The game was already booted up, and things looked normal. The starting screen was perfect, as it should be. Bonnie, Freddy, and Chica were all in their places behind the Help Wanted logo, and the startup screen was right in front of him. There was nothing that looked out of the ordinary at first, which he was happy with. Made less work for him and the team to fix later. The game took him through the opening cutscene, something Fazbear Ent. forced him to script, a little disclaimer made just for damage control. He knew all of it was a lie, a cover up by the company, but he still had to sit through it. Again, nothing was out of the ordinary. 

As it ended, he was brought to the main hub; a little desk in the middle of a mock-up of the pizzeria with a computer in front of him. A little mascot made for the game, Helpy was splayed on the screen, going through his silly animation cycle. It was weird seeing it all, the happy atmosphere of the hub and the goofy character. Especially with him knowing that this was covering up everything that happened in the past, it felt disrespectful to him, "It's just business... I don't agree with this..." he muttered to himself. He sighed and clicked on the first Night of the "FNAF 1" remake.

It was dreadfully boring to him. He knew how the mechanics worked in the game, as he coded them, so he knew all that he had to do. Just keep the camera on Foxy and listen for footsteps. There wasn't any risk early on. He beat it on his first try, the same with the next 3 nights. After finishing, he switched over to the special levels, and clicked on Night 5. There was some risk to this, but he still knew how everything worked and found it to be just a bit challenging at the most. He had gotten to 3AM with no problem, but something started to get strange. 

There was an ambience sound playing, but nothing like he had ever heard before. He listened to all of the sound effects during coding, and he had practically memorized all of them. This was different... It was a voice. It was garbled and sounded like the words were slurring together. It was at a very low tone, and it added to the creepiness of the game, so he didn't mind it. He did pause the game to make a note of it in his composition book though, just in case something was indeed wrong. He hoped it was just something extra the team added the other day, something he wasn't told about.

4AM came, and the voice got even louder. The words were clearer, but he couldn't exactly make it out yet over the other noises of the game. It was giving him the chills now. He kept trying to play the game as normal, attempting to ignore what was happening. His mind kept getting drawn back to the voice, however. He couldn’t ignore it no matter how much he tried. 5AM came and it grew even louder. Jeremy was becoming scared at this point. Something was horribly wrong, and he didn't know what. This wasn’t normal, and he knew no one would have coded something like this into the game. The noise was making his head throb and made him feel dizzy. He simply didn’t understand what was happening.

The voice was starting to sound familiar too. He could make out a single word; "Let", and it immediately clicked for him. He was stunned. It couldn't be. How would that dream have an effect on this? It didn't make sense at all. He convinced himself he must be imagining things, that he was just paranoid. That's the only thing that made sense. He felt his ears start to go numb and threw off his headphones, but the noise still prevailed and grew louder. This shouldn’t be happening, it wasn’t even possible. He knew something was wrong. He prayed for it to end soon, and stared down the in game clock, pleading for the number to change.

He sighed in relief seeing the 6AM splash screen show up, along with voice suddenly stopping, leaving him in complete silence. It was eerie, but he was thankful. He didn’t know if he could stand another second of it. Jeremy cautiously put his headphones back on, half expecting the noise to return, but it was thankfully gone completely. He decided to continue on, collecting his end of the night prize and expecting to show back up in the main hub, but that wasn't the case. He was brought to a dark room, much like the one in his nightmares. But now, it was real. He was actually there. His heart jumped in his chest, his breath quickening as he tried to take in what was happening to him. It was too real now, and this wasn't what he made. No one coded this. Was this the glitch’s doing? He still didn't understand. It was so similar to that dream. How could this even be possible?

No. This had to be something he could explain. He knew supernatural and odd events could happen, but not like this; not to him. He simply refused to believe this was something other than a crazy coincidence.  
But then he heard those soft footsteps again. He slowly spun around, trying to find where it was coming from. His hands were shaking at this point, and he didn't know what to do. He kept looking around seeing nothing, until a glitching purple haze crept in front of him. A high pitch mechanical drone emanated from its surroundings. He tried to lower the volume, but it kept getting louder and louder. His ears were ringing with the noise. He shut his eyes as the haze grew brighter and brighter, though he could still see it even through closed eyes. It finally faded after it reached its ultimate peak, and Jeremy slowly opened his eyes, feeling safe to do so now. He looked around, seeing the twisted version of the hub in the blacklight levels before him. He sighed in relief and went to flip up the headset to write the strange event down, but only felt his hand meet his face. His heart jumped in absolute fear. He kept shoving at his face, trying to pull the VR headset off, or just touch anything. But it was gone. The impossible had happened. He was inside the hub, physically, now trapped inside the game. 

He began to panic, stumbling around and crying out for help, hoping this was some joke, or that he never truly woke up this morning and he could wake up at any moment. But no matter how much he hoped, it never ended. He cried out for help until his throat ran raw, but nothing happened. He felt tears sting his eyes, his frustration and fear growing each second. Why was he here? What was going on? Why couldn't he leave? He clawed at his face again, trying to remove the headset, but all he achieved was scraping himself until he bled. There was no way to leave; no escape for him.

"You're here!" he heard a voice ring out in the hub. He froze, looking side to side for the source of the voice as it echoed through the room. It sounded just like the one he had heard in those dreams. He saw nothing, however. The voice continued, "I hope you remember me... at least, I think you do.." it said in a hushed tone. Jeremy took a deep breath and stood up straight, "Who... what are you? What do you want?" he yelled out.  
He looked around himself, spinning slowly in a circle looking around for a glimpse of anyone. He heard a rustling sound to his left, and turned to the small stage next to him. It's purple, star studded curtain swayed, something obviously now behind it. Jeremy took a deep breath and tried to give himself the confidence to go towards it. Whatever was there could be dangerous, and he needed to be prepared. He slowly stepped towards the curtain, making sure not to make a sound as he drew closer. He opened up the heavy fabric curtains, a metal squeaking sound playing out as they drew back. He looked into the pitch black darkness behind it and froze for a moment, hesitant to move any further.

"Don't stop... Come, closer now..." the voice said again, coaxing Jeremy with a sweet tone. Just then, two small glows of purple appeared in the distance, flashing and leaving within mere seconds. He thought they may be eyes, but he had to be sure. Jeremy called out again, "Who are you?" he stepped closer inside, past the end of the stage, only to find there was no floor inside. His heart jumped as he began to free fall, not even being able to scream from the shock of it all. All around him was darkness, and nothing was below him. He was almost thankful, fearing seeing a bottom to this pit. What if he could die here? And if this drop didn't kill him, what if he would be trapped there injured, forever? All the possibilities ran through his head, upsetting him more and more. He felt hot tears in his eyes. He wasn't able to hold it back anymore. He was absolutely terrified. He thought of Gregory, thinking about what would happen if he didn't see him again. He prayed this would just end, and that everything would be okay.  
He finally came to a stop, falling onto the familiar black and white tile on his back. Jeremy laid still, trying to analyze what was happening. He was relieved that he at least wasn't injured, but that didn't mean this was fine. He still needed to get out of there, and quickly. He slowly got up and looked around this new area, though it didn't help him much. He could only see a few feet out in front of him, and there was still no new sign of whoever or whatever was talking to him.

"I must say, I am grateful for what you've done for me, Jeremy..." the voice said. The purple glows appeared once more, right in front of Jeremy, radiating onto his pale face, "You shall be rewarded handsomely after all is said and done.." it continued. Jeremy stared into the violet irises, confused and scared, "What are you?" he asked in a shaky voice, "What is all of this?"

A low, ominous drone emanated around Jeremy, glitching pixels appearing all around the irises, billowing out into a large cloud. He looked on in horror as the pixels faded, leaving a clear view of the figure in his presence. He was both sinister and inviting. It was a tall honey colored rabbit, with large purple eyes and a wide, sadistic smile, forever structured to that position. Bent, wirey, whiskers protruded from his muzzle, and long ears held together with sloppy stitching stood tall above his head. His body was oddly humanoid, looking like a hastily stitched costume. The only truly high quality piece was his purple vest covered in large stars, and a large floppy bow around his neck. He looked like nothing Jeremy had ever seen before. It was definitely some kind of Fazbear Ent. character, but one he didn't recognize.

He drew closer to Jeremy, the tip of his button nose just centimeters away from the man's face, "Those details shouldn't worry you for now... All you need to know is that you have the opportunity of a lifetime!" The voice sounded both giddy and cruel. The rabbit pulled back and took Jeremy's hands, holding them gingerly in his own, "You will have a higher purpose, Jeremy… one you could never have imagined for yourself..." he said in a soft, unnerving voice. Jeremy pulled his hands away, holding them tightly to himself, "How do you know my name? What's going on?" he asked frantically. 

The rabbit looked at him intently, the same smile on his face still, "As I've said,, we can save those details for later... I promise you will know everything once the transfer is complete." he said. Jeremy looked even more confused, "Transfer? What the hell are you talking about?" he cried out. He stepped back slowly, worried this thing would lunge at him. The creature just stared at him, tilting his head to the side slowly, "You'll see soon enough..." he said in a whispery tone. It was vile, and sent a shiver down Jeremy's spine.

The entire room began to glitch out, and all Jeremy could see was blinding, saturated pixels of colors, the light nearly blinding him. He clawed at his eyes, trying to cover them as much as possible to protect them. The colors brightened to a blinding white, as what felt like wind blew all around him.

Then finally, there was darkness. The sense of sound came back to him as he heard a banging noise from wherever he was now. As Jeremy got himself oriented he realized he was back in his office. The vr headset was right next to him on the floor, as were other items of his. The computer keyboard was dangling off of the desk and his chair was upside down against the wall. Papers were strewn everywhere, most likely knocked from his media table. He looked around, dazed, trying to process what was happening.  
"Jeremy?! Are you okay in there?!" he heard from the outside of the room. The door shook as someone banged on it. He shot up quickly and walked towards the door, unlocking it. Vanessa stood on the other side, looking frantic. She hugged him tightly, on the verge of tears, "Oh thank God, what was going on?!" she asked. Jeremy moved hair out of his eyes and looked down at her with an odd expression, "What do you mean...?" he asked in a soft voice.  
Vanessa pulled at her hair and rambled, "W-well I was finishing up some paperwork in the other room and I started hearing screaming and I got scared." she looked into the office, "I knew it was you and I heard you yelling for help, and I tried to open the door and...." her eyes welled up with tears, "You scared me, Jeremy... No one came to help and no one cared... They thought you were messing around or were just scared of the game...But I know something was wrong..." she gave him a genuine look of worry, "D-did something happen?"

Jeremy took a deep breath and pondered for a moment, wondering if she would believe what actually happened. His mind raced, and he was trying to keep himself from feeling sick. He rubbed his eye with the palm of his hand and groaned, "I-I don't know Vanessa... I'm sorry you were worried... I'm just not feeling well..." he leaned against the doorway, feeling completely exhausted and drained. Something was horribly wrong, and he knew it had to do with that creature he had come across.   
Vanessa put a hand on his shoulder and looked concerned, "Jeremy, I think you need to go lay down..." she looked around the hall and back to Jeremy, "Listen... go home. Go get yourself sorted out. I'll let everyone know you tested the first part of the game.. You can do the rest in the next few days." 

Jeremy nodded, swaying slowly as he tried to keep himself upright. He was suddenly dizzy and faint, just hardly keeping it together. Vanessa stepped inside and made her way around the mess in the office, grabbing Jeremys coat from the corner. She grabbed a hold of his arm and walked with him down the hall. Jeremy was very out of it, mumbling to himself while his eyes glazed over. Vanessa felt a twinge of fear in her heart. Something was wrong, and she was upset Jeremy wasn't telling her what it was. He wasn't just sick, something had happened. He was perfectly fine in the morning, so she knew it couldn’t be that. This was supernatural in some way, though she couldn't explain it yet. Even then, she wished he would say something.. She figured he would tell her if he was comfortable, but it still hurt that he wouldn't.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.  
Jeremy looked down at her and grumbled, "Im fine, Nessa… Honestly."  
Vanessa gave him a doubtful look, "Jeremy, you screamed bloody murder and destroyed your office. That isn't 'fine’ at all"  
Jeremy gave her a tired smile, “I promise everything is okay. I just got freaked out and I’m feeling tired. I’ll be fine.”

Vanessa just stayed quiet. She didn’t like that he was lying to her, but she knew she’d be wasting her breath if she kept trying to prod at this. It left her frustrated, but there wasn’t anything she could do now.   
She got him to his car, holding him steady all the way. She looked up at him with a serious expression, "Are you sure you can get yourself home?" Jeremy stared forward, not paying attention. Vanessa tugged on his sleeve and spoke in a bold tone, "Jeremy, answer me." 

Jeremy shot back to attention and gave her a small smile, "Yeah Ness.. I'll be fine." he shrugged and opened the door, practically falling into the driver's seat. Vanessa bit her lip and immediately regretted doing this, knowing this would be a bad idea. She tried to force a smile and gave him a thumbs up, "Hope you get better soon, Jerr... see you tomorrow.." He gave her a small wave and closed the door, driving off towards home. Vanessa didn't dare to leave until she couldn't see him anymore, keeping her phone in her hand in case she needed to call in for an accident. Jeremy made his way through fine, however, which gave her some relief. As soon as his old car was gone, she turned back inside, going back up to the office. 

She looked inside Jeremy's office, gawking at the mess that was strewn across the floor. She remembered the shrieks and the sounds of things being thrown and bumped. She looked at the vr headset on the ground and picked up, only to find it turned off. She huffed and put it back on the counter, moving the keyboard back as well. She returned the chair back to its place and picked up the few papers on the ground, putting them next to Jeremy's specialized paper cutter. It made her uneasy even looking at it. She knew he needed it for some of the work he did, but she felt fear even being around it. Her hands hurt just from thinking about it getting caught in there.   
She shuddered and held them close, leaving the office and shutting the door behind her. She walked back to her desk and looked at the transfer paperwork once more, sighing. She just hoped everything was going to be okay, for her and her friend.


	4. Do You Trust Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a first encounter with the glitch, Jeremy again comes across a dark entity, and learns more about what is to come and what will become of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW Emetophobia

Jeremy stumbled inside his front door, not even feeling in control of himself anymore. His movements were doll-like, and he felt as if he were being controlled by some invisible puppet strings. The sounds around him turned to static, and the world he saw became blurry, only shapes and colors dancing around him. He felt sick to his stomach, almost immediately falling to the floor and hurling the moment he got into the living room. He kneeled on the floor, shaking and breathing heavily. He was terrified. He knew something was happening, something horrid. but he couldn't figure out what it was. He groaned as he fell completely to the floor, blacking out immediately. His mind spiraled out of control, a concoction of sounds and pictures he couldn't understand flooding his senses. It was a nightmare. Slowly, things began to come together bit by bit, until he felt his surroundings change before him.

"It's good to see you again.." a sinister voice said. Jeremy shot his head up to see himself sitting at a party table, the rabbit creature from before sitting straight across from him. He sat up straight, folding his hands politely and looking down at Jeremy directly. His face was still stuck in that static grin, never changing even for a moment. It was full of malicious intent, as if he was going to lunge out and harm him at any moment. Jeremy sat back in his own chair, tensing up in a form of defense, and looked at the creature skeptically, "Tell me who you are now." he demanded, "I won’t to talk to you unless you're honest with me.”

The creature chuckled a bit, leaning back in his seat and throwing his hands up in a shrugging motion, "Ah, but you already know me... the REAL me, that is." he held out his hand for Jeremy to shake, "You may call me Malhare..." he said, a poisonous tone in his voice. He drew his hand back as Jeremy refused to touch him, "But I suppose you know of me as someone called William Afton, yes?" he asked. He saw Jeremy’s expression change to shock and dread as the words sunk in, "Ah, don't be so scared, lad. I don't want to hurt you.... not now at least." He sat forward, folding his hands on the table

Jeremy froze, "Is this some kind of joke?" he asked, his voice warbling, "Afton is dead! You can't be him!" he said in a loud tone. He inched away, unnerved and scared of the creature. He knew this had to be some kind of cruel prank, or some fever dream made from some of his deepest fears.

Malhare continued, "Well, you are correct in a way... The real William... the original, that is, is gone." He clenched his fist, gripping the tablecloth, and a hint of anger could be heard in his voice," When Henry burnt down the last Fazbears around, he burned it down with me, and every spirit tied to this damned place in it." he held up a finger, taking a pause, "I did die in that fire, trust me, I can tell you about the pain of it all, but I always think one step ahead, my dear Jeremy. I always do, and it's why I always come back..." he leaned in close to Jeremy, his face nearly touching his, "I made a copy of myself; of my consciousness. I'll live on as long as my code does." he said gleefully, chuckling with a horrid tone. 

Jeremy looked revolted, "You're disgusting... Why are you back? What do you have to gain now?" he slammed his hands on the table, "Why am I here with you?" he demanded to know, trying to seem intimidating in the slightest to the creature. It wasn't working. William feared few things, and Jeremy was not one of them.

Malhares face remained in that same fixed expression, and he continued, "Because you were the one to set me free..." he said in a soft voice. He held his hand out in the air and phased that old circuit board into his hand, a replica of it at least. He looked down at the piece and fumbled with it, "You were the one to let me out into this system.." he held up his hands again and looked around the replica of the hub," You did a good job on these codes, by the way... This work rivals my own genius." Jeremy simply stared at him in anger, refusing to take a compliment from William of all people. The rabbit looked back to him, "Anyways, because you did such a great favor for me, I'm allowing you the privilege of taking the next step in my plans." Malhare said. 

Jeremy tensed up, "And what would that be, William?" He asked, his voice low and shaking.

"Malhare." The rabbit reminded him, "The next step is merging together, entwining our consciousness." He clasped his hands together, symbolizing the event, "You will be my loyal servant, a host for my genius, and you will continue my work." He forcibly took Jeremy's hands and held them tightly, "Doesn't that sound... enticing?" He asked, a morbid glee dripping from his voice.

Jeremy stood from his chair so quickly it fell to the ground. He shook his head in disbelief, "I would never.... why would you ever think I would do such horrible things?!" He slammed his hands onto the table, "You hurt so many families, so many people... I will NEVER be a part of that." He stated, a firm tone and finality in his voice.

Malhare seemed unaffected. He didn't move a muscle, simply just staring at Jeremy with that same crooked smile. Oh, how he hated that smile. Malhare stood slowly, looming over the man, "I'm afraid you don't have a choice, my dear Jeremy. I was merely... stating what was to come." He pushed in his chair and slowly walked to Jeremy, "The merge has already begun, and I’m sure you’ve already felt the effect on your body…” he stopped for a moment, “Now... There's two ways this can go." He held up a finger, "One, you can comply and we will work together, be partners in our glorious conquest over humanity and science! And achieve my final goal; immortality and power." He stopped in his tracks and looked down at Jeremy. He held up a second finger, "Or... you can fight me... make this process take much longer than it needs to. It will hurt, and take a huge toll on yourself, but the end result will be the same nonetheless." He gripped Jeremy's shoulders tightly, hurting him. Jeremy winced as Malhares large paws dug tighter and tighter into his skin.

"We will merge, Jeremy... willing or not, you will be my vessel to bring my work back to this world." His tone was vile and vindictive, anger behind every word. Jeremy felt faint, his heart beating faster every moment Malhare spoke. Malhare continued his hold on him, his fingers now cutting into Jeremy's skin, little bits of blood appearing on his flannel shirt.

Malhare spoke one last time, "Whichever way this happens is your choice... I hope you choose the right one, my dear."

The rabbit began to glitch, his colors inverting and his body dissolving into pixels, then out of sight completely. The room around him dissolved into darkness, and he awoke again, still in a daze.

His nose scrunched as the smell of vomit hit him. He nearly hurled again, scrambling away from the mess to stop himself. He looked around, trying to figure out how long he was out for. The sky was starting to turn dark, purple sunset shades fading into a dark night sky outside of his window. Time must have flown faster in that nightmare than it seemed.

He walked over to his couch, stumbling weakly. He practically fell onto it, hardly able to hold himself up at this point. He was breathing heavily, holding his head in his hands as he tried to regain his composure. His throat tightened, and he knew he was going to be sick again. He tried to hold it back as much as possible, hating even the thought of throwing up.

A shiver shook through him as he heard that same echoey voice, "Just stay calm, Jeremy... Let this happen, and be at peace." It whispered. Though its words were assuring, the tone dripped with venom.

Jeremy didn't know what he could do at this point. He could already feel this demon taking over him, and his body was suffering from it. He felt pained and sore, as if he had taken a horrible beating. The only thing he knew for certain now was that if this was real, if this was truly happening, he was going to fight it. He was going to triumph over this demon and keep himself and those he loved safe. He never expected he would need to be a hero, but he would take the role.

  
  



	5. You're Scaring Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When all is seemingly well in the office, Vanessa comes across an odd man- one who looks and sounds like a dear friend, but couldn't be any more different

The whole day had passed, but Vanessa had never stopped thinking about Jeremy and what had happened. She was sick to her stomach, thinking about the worst possible scenarios. He hadn't talked to her since he left, so literally any possibility swarmed her thoughts. But nothing made sense to her. Jeremy was fine that morning, and suddenly he was acting like he was about to pass out. No one goes from being fine to looking near death like that. Then there were the screams for help and the things he had thrown around. For that, there was still no explanation. Was it her fault for quitting on him like that? She hoped it wasn't. She prayed it wasn't.

She was sitting at her chair, talking to her coworkers Nora and James, trying to make the best of her last few days with them. She enjoyed working with them, and she knew they were upset that she decided to move on without them. They talked about the future, where they wanted to be and what they wanted to do as life went on. James wanted to keep climbing the ladder in their company until he got as close to the top as possible, great visions of grandeur clouding his sensibilities. Nora wanted to have her big break as a writer and get out of Utah once and for all. Hearing their plans made Vanessa feel more at ease, and much less selfish for taking a position at the Mega Pizzaplex. The conversation was helping her get her mind off of yesterday's events as well. 

Nora sat on top of the table, pushing her keyboard aside, "So Nessa... what do you wanna do?" She asked. She and James looked at her intently. Vanessa smiled sheepishly, "Well.... I'm moving on to this new position, right?" She said, a bit of unease in her voice.

James scoffed, "No, we mean for long term. No one wants to stay working forever at a Fazbears chain... Especially as a security guard of all positions." He gave her a shit eating grin, "Make sure you don't get stuffed into something or disemboweled." He said in a grim, mocking tone. Vanessa tensed up, feeling queasy and annoyed with him. 

Nora glared at him and elbowed him in the side, "Shut up, douchebag. At least pretend to be nice for once." She looked to Vanessa with a sympathetic expression, "Anyways.. I just meant long term goals. You got a big dream you want to get started on?" She asked.

Vanessa thought long and hard. She never truly thought of something like that, not seriously at least. She had plenty of unrealistic ideas for her life, ideas she knew she didn't have the status or money to achieve, but one always seemed the most appealing, "Well..." she said, a smile creeping onto her face, "I guess I always wanted to get involved with investigations... more like the paranormal type, but getting involved in a case just seems exciting. Even if I could just work on a local level solving mysteries, just doing some good for this town, I would be happy." she shrugged, a bit flustered. She always felt awkward talking about these things. Nora smiled softly, "So, like, some kind of detective work! I hope you get to do that then... Y'know, whenever this security job gets too boring for ya." she said. Vanessa smiled, opening her mouth to speak again when she was cut off by a loud banging noise. The three of them jumped, turning back towards the office door to see what had happened.

Jeremy walked in, lumbering into the room with very stilted, mechanical motions. His eyes were half lidded and glazed over, as if he was in some sort of trance. He was dressed more formally than normal, wearing a nice dress shirt and tie as opposed to his normal flannel and t-shirts. His hair was pulled back neatly into a tight, small bun on the back of his head, not a single hair out of place. Vanessa was in a bit of shock. This wasn't like him at all. Jeremy was a lively and casual man, not whatever this was. Everyday he would come into the office, all smiles and talking up a storm. His hair was always that mess of red curls and he was always dressed like it was an off day. He was the pinnacle of approachability, but now, he was cold and strange. She didn't like it.

He sat down at the head desk, just a few feet from Vanessa's. He stared blankly at his computer for a moment, slowly turning to Vanessa, his eyes unchanging in expression. It unnerved her, and made her feel like something sinister was happening. Jeremy blinked slowly, still staring her down, "Vanessa.... am I correct?" he asked, a low drone to his voice. It was oddly polite and posh, almost accented. Jeremy was always so loud and boisterous, for as long as Vanessa had known him. And what was with that last part? He was acting as if he didn't know her, and he called her 'Vanessa'. He never used her full name like that, even when he was upset. Something was wrong.

Vanessa felt a chill run down her body as his voice hit her ears, "This can't be him... This is some kind of a prank. This is wrong," she thought to herself. Jeremy still stared her down, waiting for an answer, "Well?" he asked again.

Vanessa sighed and smiled, "Yep, that's me..." she said with unease in her voice, trying her best to force a smile. She tried to get him into a joking mood, "What, did you forget my name already now that I'm transferring?" she laughed a bit, trying to look for any change in his expression. His face remained solemn and blank. Her smile dropped and she began to feel sick. She looked to Nora and James, who looked equally unnerved. They didn't even need to say anything to each other, they all knew what the other was thinking. Vanessa hoped this was some sort of weird out of season April fools joke. Jeremy was a bit of a goof, after all. She tried to believe that, but something in her mind told her to be worried for her friend.

Jeremy turned on his monitor and stared at the screen, not moving his mouse or even touching his keyboard. He just looked at it, his expression ever flat and emotionless. Vanessa reached over cautiously, tapping his shoulder with a shaky hand, "Hey Jeremy... Aren't you supposed to be in your own office? You know, beta testing?" she asked warily. Jeremy took a few seconds to process it, finally responding, "Thank you, Vanessa..." he said softly. His face finally changed, a small, polite smile appearing on his face, "I'll see my way out. I appreciate you reminding me of my duties. " he said, his voice monotonous.

Vanessa nodded and gave him an awkward finger gun motion, "Heyyy, any time, man." she said, trying to get any reaction from him. He just continued to stare, his green eyes boring through her soul. She felt her heart beat in her throat, making her sick. Jeremy turned away, walking with a stilted pace out the door without another word. As soon as the door clicked behind him Vanessa turned to her coworkers, a look of panic on her face, "What the hell just happened?" she hissed.

Nora and James looked just as concerned as her, "I don't have a clue, but what I do know is that is NOT Jeremy," James said with finality in his voice, "Jeremy is a doofus, and he jokes around and makes this place feel like home." He pointed to the door, "THAT was some alien creature. There's something very wrong here." his voice warbled a bit, which was very unlike James. He had always sounded so self assured and cocky. Now, he was almost scared. Nora continued, "And when have you EVER heard Jeremy refer to work as his duties?" she folded her arms and held them close to her chest, "I don't know what's happening, but I don't like this at all… Even if this is some kind of prank, it’s just freaky..." she looked to Vanessa, her face softer and more sympathetic, "Could you keep an eye on him today? I know we still have to do renders for box art and posters and website updates, but I'll cover for you today. The safety of a coworker.... of a friend... is much more important than this game." she said, her tone being completely genuine, "Just go peek in every once in a while, talk to him. Just try to figure out what this all is."

Vanessa nodded, looking more confident than earlier. She felt like whatever this was, whatever was happening with Jeremy, she could help him. She was his best friend after all. She stood up and took a deep breath, trying to give herself confidence. Nora gave her a good luck thumbs up and returned to her work on her computer.

Vanessa closed the door behind her and walked down the hall to Jeremy's personal office. It was always strange to her when she went this way. Fazbear Ent. normally kept the halls looking nice, with plenty of decorations on the walls, potted plants, and even some benches lining the walls. Up here there was nothing ; just the pale cream painted walls, grey carpet covered with mysterious stains, blinding LED lights in the ceiling, and a frigid draft that made her fingers numb. It perfectly set the mood for the eerie tension of this morning. She took short, slow, steps to the office, dreading being alone with Jeremy, or whoever this was, right now.

She stopped in front of his door, taking a sigh of relief when she saw the curtain that usually covered the window was pulled back. She peered in, taking short, shallow breaths as to not make even a single noise to alert him. Jeremy just sat at his desk, doing nothing. His screen wasn't even on. His notebook was open, and it looked like he had something written down. She couldn't tell what it was from this angle. Slowly, he reached for his pen, and continued to write.

That was the last thing that tipped Vanessa off. She knew now that something was up. Jeremy was left handed, and as for as long as she knew him he wrote fast as possible with chicken scratch legibility. Now, he was using his right hand, writing slow and steady, with hand motions that looked as if he was writing in cursive. This wasn't right ; it wasn't him. She knew that for sure now. She took a deep breath, mustering her confidence, and swung the door open.

"Hey man!" she said, trying to fake a smile, "What'cha writing about?" she asked. She leaned against his office chair and looked over to the pages, only for Jeremy to slam the book shut, as if it was a major secret. Vanessa jumped back a bit, not expecting him to do that.

"That's not important right now, Vanessa." he said softly. He looked up at her, his face finally showing some kind of expression. He looked interested in her, as if she was some curious, foreign object, "You must be wondering why I'm acting this way, I suppose? This isn't normal behavior for me, I assume."

Vanessa jumped back, a little surprised at how forward he was. She shrugged and laughed it off, "Nah, everyone has their days! I just wanted to talk to you, y'know, like a friend." she nudged his shoulder with her fist, feeling awkward when she was left without a response or reaction.

Jeremy continued, "I assure you, nothing is wrong. This is only the start of an exciting new chapter, for everyone." an odd, crooked smile appeared on his face. It even felt malicious in a way. Jeremy always had such a genuine smile, one that made his eyes crinkle up and his cheeks turn pink. This time it was cold and forced. Vanessa ignored it, nodding her head slowly, "Okay.... I just." she stopped and sighed, "Look, Jeremy, you're scaring me." she said, her voice warbling, "You've been acting really weird even before today and I just wish you would tell me what's going on." she pleaded. Jeremy's face shifted, looking more aware and filled with more emotion. It finally looked like he was there with her. Vanessa continued, hoping to keep that up, "I'm just scared I'm losing you.... you can tell me anything, Jeremy... I wish you knew that." she sighed in relief, finally feeling free now that she was honest.

Jeremy's face finally contorted into a recognizable expression, one reminiscent of fear and realization. He looked at Vanessa with wide and pleading eyes, uttering one word in a whisper, "Nessa...?" was all he could make out, just before falling forward. Vanessa quickly grabbed him, helping him sit up in his chair. She finally heard something normal, something she recognized, and wasn't going to let that stop, "Jeremy, listen to me." she said with a firm tone, "What's going on? Are you okay? What-" she stopped, seeing tears streaming down her friend's face. He looked toward her, sadness and fear etched onto his face. Vanessa hardly ever saw him like this, and she hated it when this did happen. She took his hand, trying to show she was there to listen and comfort him.

"Nessa, I need you to help me." he pleaded, his voice shaky. He sounded like a young child just waking from a nightmare. He looked around, just now realizing where he was, "I-I don't remember anything I did this morning... Something-" he paused, "Someone is taking over me and I don't know what to do."

Vanessa was confused. What was he even talking about?, "Taken over?" she asked, "Jeremy, right now, tell me what's going on, in full detail. Don't leave anything out." she said, her tone firm. She knew he tended to be a bit of a story teller, always long winded and going off on tangents, but she didn't have time for that now. She just needed him to be completely straight with her now.

Jeremy nodded quickly, taking quick shallow breaths. He sounded like he had just gone to run a marathon. He spoke in a warbly voice, "Y-you remember that c-circuit board we found, right?" He asked frantically.

Vanessa gave him an odd look, "Jeremy, what does that even-"

He cut her off, "The glitch that got let loose in the system..." he looked at her with a terrified face, leaning in and whispering, "It wasn't just some haywire code... Remember all those stories about William Afton and that Springtrap character?" He watched Vanessa nod slowly, trying to figure out what he was getting at. He continued, "When that old place burnt down, and he burned with it in that suit, we were made to believe he was dead... but that's not the whole truth. He made a copy of himself, that's what the glitch was! It's his consciousness, it’s him!" He cried out.

Vanessa gave him a doubtful and unnerved look. She enjoyed the paranormal and believed in it too, but this just seemed too far. This didn't even make sense to her, "Jeremy, how do you even know this? And how does that explain this morning?" She asked, concern behind her voice.

Jeremy was shaking, from fear and from the adrenaline of it all, "Because yesterday, when I was testing, I came across him. He looked different, like some crazed cartoon version of that old costume.... hold on-" He grabbed his notebook and turned to a clean page, shakily scribbling down the image of the demon rabbit. He passed the book to Vanessa, waiting for a reaction.

The character was well drawn, but very unnerving. The bulbous, half lidded eyes and that crooked, twisted smile on the rabbit made her stomach feel sour. She winced a bit, placing the notebook back into Jeremy's hands, "Jeremy I still don't understand..."

Jeremy looked even more frantic, "He's taking over my mind, Nessa." He was about to cry. He gripped Vanessa's shoulders tightly, trying to show her he was serious, "I-I blacked out last night and he talked to me. He told me t-that he wanted to "merge", whatever the hell that means..." he shuddered, "He called me his servant... he told me I had no choice but to obey him... I don't remember anything after that, just that I went to bed and now I'm here. He took over this morning... I can’t remember anything.."

Vanessa sighed and shook her head, "Jeremy, I think you're just sick. I should’ve know that some of the long days in the office were getting to you..." She held her hand to his forehead. It was blazing hot, "You have a fever, Jeremy…” she tsked and shook her head, ”Listen, you need to go home and rest. Leave the rest of the beta testing to me and Nora, we'll just tell Mikhail you need to be on leave."

Jeremy shook his head, "No, Nessa, you need to believe me. This isn't just some weird nightmare, and I'm not sick! Something is wrong, and I need your help." He knew she didn't believe him. She looked at him as if he was crazy.

Vanessa helped him stand up, holding onto him gingerly. She patted his back and led him out of the room, "We're gonna go to the first aid center, okay?"

"We have a first aid office...?" Jeremy asked in a daze. Vanessa sighed and just kept walking with him, making sure he stood steady. It was hard, however. Jeremy was tall and heavy, and Vanessa was very petite. Being a crutch for him proved to be quite difficult.

She brought him to an elevator at the end of the hall and clicked for the first floor. The doors closed and the hum of the mechanisms played. The only other noise to be heard was Jeremy's breathing. He looked down to his friend with weary eyes, "Please Nessa.... I need you to believe me..." he pleaded.

Vanessa gave him a look, a mix of doubt and sympathy. She felt bad for him right now, knowing something was obviously wrong with him. But all of this talk of possession by William Afton himself? Even for Fazbear Entertainment this was far fetched. She just couldn't bring herself to believe it. Jeremy had a fever, so she tried to believe it was just that getting to him, and that this was some kind of weird hallucination from it all.

The elevator bell chimed and the doors slid open. Vanessa nudged Jeremy to get his attention, and led him to the first aid office. Inside a little old lady sat clacking away at her computer. She wore faded purple scrubs and kept her salt and pepper hair up in a bun, curly flyaways coming off from every angle. Her face was wrinkled, but looked inviting and warm. She looked up at the duo, a smile spreading across her face, "Well hello you two!" She said in a chipper voice, "What seems to be the issue?"

Vanessa motioned to Jeremy, "He's got a fever right now and he's been having some weird fever dreams... I'm just worried for him and was wondering if you had anything that could help."

The old woman sighed, trying to look sympathetic, "Ah, I can see that. He looks horrible." She walked around the desk, grabbing a clipboard on her way, "Come on then, he can lay down over here."

She opened a door leading into a side room, motioning towards an empty cot. Vanessa helped Jeremy over to it, letting him lay back on it. He didn't even try to fight her, knowing he didn't have the strength to do so. Still, he so desperately wanted to get up and beg for help, but his body worked against him. He curled up, breathing shallow and ragged breaths. The nurse tsked and shook her head, jotting down his visible symptoms on her board. She walked over to a medicine cabinet, pulling out some liquid medication. She poured a single dose out into a cup and handed it to Vanessa, "Here. This will help his temperature and will knock him out for a bit. Lord knows he needs it."

Vanessa nodded and handed the cup to Jeremy. He took it and lifted it to his lips lazily. The old lady put the bottle back into the cabinet and looked at Vanessa, noticing her expression. Vanessa was terribly upset and unnerved, and she wanted to help, "Dear, why don't we talk outside?" She asked, her voice soft and sweet.

Vanessa nodded and followed the nurse out into the main office. The old woman checked in on Jeremy one last time and shut the door. She looked back to Vanessa with a sympathetic look, "I feel bad that I haven't introduced myself," she held out her hand, "My name is Lottie. It's nice to meet you."

Vanessa shook her hand, "I'm Vanessa... it's nice to meet you too." A small smile crept across her face.

Lottie continued, "You said he's having hallucinations?" She sounded quite concerned. Vanessa nodded and folded her arms, "He started talking about some rabbit character possessing him. He said it was some form of Afton, forcing him to be some kind of ‘servant of evil’." She shook her head and sighed, "I don't know, I think he's just sick and the game development is getting to him. He doesn’t like to admit it, but he’s easily spooked, so he probably saw something while playing that freaked him out and this happened."

Lottie thought for a moment before speaking, "That's.... an odd hallucination. Very specific, especially for something that's fever induced... I know this company has paranormal history, but this doesn't exactly make sense either... I think you may be right though. He's probably just having some nightmares that are getting worsened by this. It was good you brought him here."

Vanessa felt relief knowing everything was going to be okay. She wouldn't be able to deal with it if something was horribly wrong with Jeremy. She was still worried, knowing that this still wasn't an ideal situation, but she felt peace knowing things would be better. 

In the other room, Jeremy lay on his cot, shuddering. His breath was ragged, his face dripped with sweat and his red locs were plastered to his forehead. He felt like he was dying, and he was beginning to wish for it at that point. His thoughts mixed together, the words in them no longer connecting or making sense. Sound was muffled as if he was underwater, and his vision was fading in and out. He shook like a rattle, feeling flashes of extreme heat and cold. He just wanted it to be over. He wanted things to be normal again.

He looked to the empty wall in front of him as a shadow crept up on it slowly. He felt his stomach turn as the figure twisted into the shape of Malhare, now presenting himself in a physical form, "Now, did you really think anyone was going to believe you, dear?" he said, his tone condescending. 

Jeremy looked at the shadow with contempt, "I'll get her to understand... She knows I don't joke like this. She'll figure it out." he sounded so assured of himself, confident that things would be okay. Malhare chuckled, an ugly sound emanating from him. His shadow form tilted his head to the side, "Oh, Jeremy... I'm afraid by the time anyone knows about me, it'll be far too late for you. I suggest you sit back, relax, and stop fighting the inevitable. All of this pain, this illness, don't you want it to end? Your body will just deteriorate more and more over time, until every last bit of you is whittled away, until only I remain." he clasped his hands together, "And that would be very unfortunate for you, yes?"

Jeremy growled and gripped the pillow on his cot, his knuckles turning white, "I will never let you do this, not willingly. I'll fight you, you son of a bitch." he hissed. Malhare chuckled again, "Such naughty language!" he jeered, "Call me whatever you like, I've heard far worse things from people I respect much more than you. You can't hurt me, Jeremy... it's time you realized that." 

The apparition slowly faded, the rabbit man disappearing from sight. Jeremy felt hot tears stinging at his eyes. He was afraid and angry, and he didn't know what to do. He was beginning to accept that Malhare was right. No one was going to believe this was happening. All of this, even by Fazbear Entertainment standards, was far fetched. Everyone would just sit back and call him crazy. He feared he was destined to suffer in solitude, begging for liberation from this demon with no one to help or believe him; not even his dearest friend. He curled up on his cot, holding his knees tightly to his chest, and drifted into a restless sleep as tears streaked his cheeks.

  
  



	6. Rabbit in the Spotlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy is in the dark about most of what's happened at Fazbear Entertainment. Maybe someone- someone who would know plenty about the tales of the place, could enlighten him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW For child death, mention of the fnaf 6 fire, slight emetophobia, and descriptions of blood in this chapter

Jeremy once again awoke to find himself in that same model of the games hub; the same old dim diner he had designed and programmed himself. He was starting to hate this place, and he dreaded sleeping because of it. He stood in the middle of a row of tables and huffed, folding his arms, "I know you're here, you bastard. Stop hiding from me." he gruffed. Jeremy looked around for any sign of life or movement, feeling his frustration rising.

Malhare walked into the room from an adjacent hallway, his steps soft and almost dancelike. He swayed his hands gracefully as he stepped forth, giving Jeremy a little performance . He was always a man for theatrics, after all. He stopped just a few feet away from Jeremy, grinning wildly, "Ah, my reluctant servant... I'm glad to see you here again. Why don't we-"

"Shut up." Jeremy grumbled. Malhare tensed up, surprised that Jeremy would dare to interrupt him, "You keep talking about your legacy, your plans... But I want to know the real story. This company keeps everything under wraps, especially when it comes to you." he furrowed his brow, looking at Malhare with contempt, "I want to know why you did this."

The rabbit sighed wistfully and tilted his head to the side, clasping his hands together, "Ah, Jeremy, you're making me feel nostalgic! I would love to tell you how this all came to be, and why I plan to continue on, but you may need to give me just a moment." a low and gritty giggle emanated from him. Jeremy shuddered at the disgusting noise.

"And why is that?" Jeremy demanded to know. Malhare chuckled, wagging a finger, "Ah-ah! Prior preparation prevents poor performance!" he said with twisted glee, "Sit back and wait, my dear. The show will start soon!" His voice was singsong and sickening. He threw his arms out theatrically as he dissolved into a cloud of pixels, disappearing from the room. Jeremy paced around, furious at his current situation. He wished he had just punched him in the face, given him a taste of his own medicine. He wanted to destroy this being once and for all. He hated Malhare, and he wanted him gone.

A loud echoing voice suddenly boomed throughout the room, rattling through Jeremy as it spoke, "Get ready! The show will begin in just a moment!" Malhare announced. Jeremy was even more confused, "What the hell?" he grumbled. He prepared himself for any horrible thing to pop out of nowhere. Malhare was proving to be unpredictable, and for all Jeremy knew this was some kind of trap.

The room suddenly began to shift, the furniture disappearing and the walls deforming and becoming smaller. Objects phased in and out of sight as everything changed, the code rearranging itself to fit Malhare's desires. The colors and textures changed as well, but none of it phased Jeremy. At this point, nothing that happened in his dreams could surprise him anymore. He just took it as par for the course.

The room finally settled, looking far different from before. The floor was now wooden, the only thing upon it being a nice, plush, theater chair. The walls were rounded, designed to look like a cartoony meadow with rainbow flowers. In front of him was a large wooden stage adorned with warm yellow lights on the rim. The red velvet curtains were drawn shut, held in place by a golden bow. It was eerily silent for a moment, until Malhares loud voice boomed again, "Sit, and the show will begin!"

Jeremy reluctantly walked over to the chair in front of the stage. He sat down cautiously, half expecting some kind of trap to pop up and swallow him whole. He was pleasantly surprised that it was simply just a nice chair, nothing wrong with it at all. He allowed himself to get comfortable, and waited for whatever this show was to start. The lights in the room dimmed, leaving only the stage lights beaming brightly. Cheerful music played softly over unseen speakers, making Jeremy feel more at ease.

"You want to know why these things happened, and how they occurred... I'll tell you this story, my dear Jeremy.... The story about how a family was destroyed." Malhare said. His voice sounded solemn and sad, an odd change of tone Jeremy never heard from him. He was now even more curious than before, and gave all of his attention to the stage.

The golden ribbon unraveled itself and disappeared into a cloud of sparkles. The curtains pulled themselves back, squeaking on the rails as they unveiled the stage. The stage lights turned on to reveal the scene unfolding. It was a simple background of a meadow before him, and a little family of string puppets fell from the top of the stage. One of a little smiling girl with green eyes and honey blonde hair, one of a small crying boy with messy black hair, a teenage boy with a fox mask grinning maliciously, a blonde woman with a kind expression, and finally a puppet of a larger man with a big smile. They were all holding hands, standing together as Malhare spoke, "Once upon a time, there was a lovely little family living together in Hurricane. A sweet little girl, a sad little boy, his rotten older brother, their loving mother, and their intelligent father with a mind for business and machines." he explained. All of the puppets but the father moved off the stage, and another two joined him on the stage. One of them was a blonde fatherly looking man, with large round glasses and a fluffy beard. He looked kind and approachable, reminding Jeremy of his own father. He held the hand of a little brunette girl who smiled with glee.

"One day, the father met another man, Henry Emily. They knew they both were creative geniuses, far too smart and talented to not do something great with their gifts. They loved their families and loved to make others happy, so they hatched a plan to make something amazing in their town." Malhare said, reminiscing.

Jeremy watched as a little building popped up in the background, a restaurant with the sign 'Fredbears Family Diner' plastered on the front. Jeremy finally started recognizing what was going on. Two puppets of a golden bear and rabbit replaced the others, waving and dancing joyfully on the stage, "Henry made two wonderful creations; robots which he called Fredbear and Springbonnie. They danced, sung, told jokes, and did many wonderful things. Hurricane had never seen anything like it before." he paused for a moment, "Henry made them even more special than anyone would have imagined, as he made special mechanisms where the characters could be robots or worn by people. There was a bit of danger to these mechanisms, but it was a risk the two men were willing to take to make their families happy and the town entertained."

Jeremy was entranced by the little show, taking in every little detail. He had never known the full story behind this place, or the humble beginnings of it all. He knew the headquarters had a memorial to Henry in the lobby, who had died mysteriously a few years prior, but he didn't know much else about the man. He desperately wanted to know more now.

The scene changed again, this time to be inside the diner. It showed a group of children cheering as the characters danced and played on the stage, entertaining the crowd, "Oh, you would have loved it, Jeremy! People came from all around to see the characters, wanting to hear the songs and see their show. All was well for a long time, and things were only getting better." Malhare lamented. “Until... until 1983..." he said the date with such contempt and woe. Jeremy felt uneasy just hearing his tone.

The scene changed to a home, and the puppets of the crying boy and his brother appeared. The little boy looked terrified as his brother chased him around, using a Foxy mask to scare him and make him cry. He seemed like a rotten child to Jeremy, "The eldest of the man's children was a mean and angry boy... he terrorized his brother day in and out, making his life miserable. He made his brother terrified of the robots in their father's restaurant, and he dreaded even looking at them." Jeremy looked at the tiny puppet with sympathy, feeling bad for the young boy. Knowing this was all real made him feel worse.

The scene shifted once more, back to the pizzeria. The boy in the fox mask was surrounded by his friends, all of them wearing masks of the other characters. They surrounded the little brother taunting him as Springbonnie and Fredbear performed. Malhare began his narration again, "When the little boy's birthday came around, his father held it at the restaurant and planned a big celebration to help him love the characters again. He was still very scared, however, and refused to go near the robots. His brother got a nasty idea to make the fear grow even more so, and got his friends in on the plan as well." his voice then grew quiet and forlorn. The bully characters lifted the little boy and brought him to the stage," They held up the little boy and decided to play a prank on him. They wanted to make him give the bear a little kiss, forcing him to get close enough to the character to traumatize him. And then..." he trailed off, letting the puppets do the rest of the talking for him.

Jeremy watched in horror as the child was lifted and put into the bears mouth, only for the strong jaw of the character to crush his head, leaving the child's body to dangle limp. Jeremy thought he was going to faint as blood streamed from the puppet, a gruesome and tragic display before him. He was trembling, wishing for the scene to change already. He sighed in relief as it finally went away, leaving a dark stage with no background. One single purple light shone in the middle, and the puppet of the happy father stood in the middle, now looking distraught and disheveled. Dark bags were underneath his eyes, his brown hair was unkempt, and his dark purple suit was mussed. He looked absolutely horrible. Malhare could be heard again, "The boy died a mere few days later... The doctors did their absolute best, but it was all for naught. The father fell into a deep depression afterwards, and resented his remaining son for doing such a thing. He didn't know what to do with himself now, and even his wife and Henry couldn't console him. That's when he promised his son that he would do anything to bring him back, anything to have him back again, no matter what the cost may be."

The spotlight went out and the puppet disappeared with it. The black background was then illuminated by purple spheres of light, shimmering and making little whirring noises, "That's when the man discovered a great source of energy; remnant." Malhare continued. His voice sounded wistful as he uttered the name of the material, "Made from the agony and souls of those who have passed, with the ability to grant life to an object or person. The man knew this was the ticket to bringing his beloved child back. It was his chance to put him back together."

The lights faded away and the empty stage was then flooded with red lights, "However, this would leave the man with no other choice than to murder; to sacrifice the lives of others for the life of someone he held so dear to him. He knew the price of his actions would be vast, but his desperation took hold of him."

The stage was then filled with 6 little puppets of children, all holding hands. One was of the little girl who was with Henry, now wearing a white mask with red cheeks and two streaming tears. Next to her was a little blond girl in a pink dress, wearing a Chica mask. Then a little red head boy in a striped shirt wearing a Foxy mask, a young boy with tight black curls wearing a Freddy mask, a brunet boy wearing a Bonnie mask, and finally a little girl with black pigtails wearing a Fredbear mask. Jeremy knew who they were immediately; the first of all of those children to go missing. The children stolen from their families in a place they trusted and felt was safe, just to have them die. He remembered his own son, thinking of the anguish he would feel if something were to happen to him. He tried to push that thought from his mind, knowing it would just upset him more.

"All of them died in the name of science, in the name of bringing back another, but lived on in the suits of the characters, possessing them for decades." Malhare lamented, "However, the man was not done with these experiments. He still needed time to perfect remnant, to make sure there were no mistakes, but he knew he was already being suspected. The police were on his trail, and he needed to make sure the blood stayed off of his hands."

The background changed to look like another stage, more circus themed this time. On the different levels of a stage stood puppets of very shiny, clown-like robots. One of a ballerina with her eyes perpetually closed, a white fox with pink accents and a large red bow around its neck, a white and purple bear with an adorable blue rabbit replacing his right hand, and a clown girl with bright red hair and a red dress, "They were called the Funtimes," Malhare explained, "Created with the purpose of luring children from their families and capturing them to bring back to the man to continue his experiments. He would have never imagined that one of these children would be his own..."

Jeremy watched as the puppet of the little blonde girl from the beginning of the play approached the clown, looking at her in wonder and amazement. As soon as she got close, a claw jumped out of the robot's stomach, pulling her in quickly. Jeremy jumped as soon as it shot out, watching in disgusted horror as little trickles of blood ran down the front of the robot. She shut down, bowing her head, as the others behind her still continued to perform, unbothered by the events that occurred before them.

Jeremy was almost starting to feel bad for William and his family. He had never known any of this had happened to them. Fazbear Entertainment had done an amazing job of covering this all up, destroying anything and anyone who even dared to talk about it. He was completely enthralled by the play, and felt uneasy knowing things would get worse.

"The man had lost his second child, and was cursed to be left with the rotten one who had hurt this family so badly..... the one who was at fault for every bit of misery in this town. The man was left destroyed. When he came to realize his own daughter was possessing the robot, it broke him even more."

The scene changed back to the original pizzeria, showing the father, anguished, with a weapon in hand. He was destroying the original robots with violent gusto, making sure they were left in pieces, "In his anguish the man returned to the place where he committed the first of his crimes. He destroyed the robots, hating the original creations that led to all of this pain and misery."

From the broken robot puppets rose tiny, ghost-like puppets with tear streaks coming from their eyes. The man's face twisted into fear, and he began to run from them, trying to avoid even looking at them. Malhare saw Jeremy's confusion at the scene and explained, "The spirits within the suits were angry with him, and chased after him throughout the building." The scene shifted to a backrooms area, the man now cornered as the spirits drew in closer. The golden Springbonnie suit sat slumped in the corner, and the man got an idea. His puppet drew near the body, kneeling down and disappearing as the Springbonnie character rose up, "He put on the suit, hoping to trick the spirits of the children. In an act of folly, he laughed at being able to trick them so easily, believing himself to have won. But he didn't account for the springlocks in the suit to be so old and fragile." Malhare sounded pained saying those words.

Jeremy felt even more sick watching the laughing rabbit character suddenly freeze in place as blood sprayed from the joints of the costume. He collapsed on the ground, reaching out to the spirits as they faded away, content at seeing him get what he deserved. He finally fell back against the back wall, ceasing his movements for the last time. A wheel with a sun painted on rose above the back wall and spun, revealing a nighttime sky. It spun faster and faster, turning into a blur of sky blue and a midnight black, showing the increase in time, "For 30 years, he sat in that backroom, never moving, but ever changing. Thousands of days and nights passed by and he was left alone, boarded up in that room never to be found. The gold suit turned green with grime and broke down with time. He was finally found by a group of men who brought him to a small horror attraction, filled with decorations from the old locations. He was confused and angry, not wanting to accept this fate he was stuck with."

The scene changed to show this new character lumbering around the halls like a stilted zombie. Jeremy remembered hearing about this creature as a teen, and recognized it from some news coverage years back. It had to be that Fazbear Frights place he had heard about. He knew they had some creepy robot there, but he would have never imagined it had a body rotting inside, the body of the murderer who started the place nonetheless. He was glad his family never let him go to that place. He didn't know if he could've handled that.

"One day, just after opening, the place burnt down. Everything in it was destroyed, except for him. He was damaged of course, but he came back... He always did." as the scene burnt down, a silhouette of the creature lurked out into the darkness, "He ran away, hiding in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike again... That's when he found the last location still standing, run by the very son who caused him so much grief in life, and his old partner."

A puppet appeared of a disheveled, disgusting looking man. Jeremy guessed it was supposed to be the teenager from earlier. He looked as if his body was rotting, his skin turning a gray purple and looking as if it was falling off. Jeremy figured it was just something Malhare made to show his anger and hatred towards him, making him look like a monster to show his contempt. It had to be. A human couldn't look like that and survive, right?

Multiple stages with all kinds of colorful characters appeared behind him, all performing and dancing around. But in the back, four foul figures emerged; A twisted version of that clown girl, a rusted, broken bear made of piles of wires, a black bear with a lazy eye, and the man in the rabbit suit. They loomed over the happy, innocent characters with malintent in their eyes, "That foul man started his own chain, lured those four creatures into the restaurant, promising salvage and hope. But it was all a lie." Malhare hissed.

Quickly, the puppets were engulfed in flames, burning and melting before Jeremy's eyes. The man stood there still, and was joined by another; one who looked like Henry, though older and more solemn. They simply just stood there as the place burned around them, content to die in the fire right there. It was a self sacrifice, the two of them attempting to end the legacy there once and for all. Jeremy noticed they looked almost happy, even with the carnage all around them; they were at peace, "The young man and his fathers old friend burnt the place down, attempting to kill off any bits of remnant, as well as the man, once and for all... They sacrificed themselves to the flames, hoping everyone would forget about Fazbear Entertainment, and the misery that came from it." Malhare said in a low tone, drawing the story to an end.

As the smoke and flames rose, the characters and the scenes were completely obscured, burning up like logs on a fire. The curtain closed slowly, leaving Jeremy in awe of the performance. It all felt like fiction, he thought it had to be. Every part of the story was a new twist and turn, all heart wrenching and painful. The fact something so horrible could happen in such a little town like Hurricane left him in shock.

The curtain opened once more, revealing only Malhare on the stage. He stood in a tall and proud stance, puffing out his chest and putting one foot in front of the other. He dramatically raised one hand in front of himself and the other behind his back, giving a bow to his sole guest.

The illusion of the room around them faded, bringing them back to the main hub. Malhare looked to Jeremy and folded his arms, disappointed, "It takes far too much work to make a show of that caliber, Jeremy... I expected a bit of praise from a fellow artist."

Jeremy felt a bit embarrassed and rude, something he would never imagine himself feeling towards the man. He shot him a nervous smile, "I thought it was very well done! I'm just.... confused. That was just such a crazy story... is all of that even true?" He asked.

Malhare tsked, "I think I would know the details of my own life, young man... I still don't know the full story, the details I wasn't around for, that is. It's what happens when you're trapped in an animatronic and sealed into a backroom for three decades..." he said with bitterness in his voice. He looked back down to Jeremy, "I hope you have a better understanding of me now. Why I did the things I have done and how..."

Jeremy took a deep breath, ready to make a risky move, "I feel bad for your family, but what you did is not justified, William." The rabbits eyes glowed in a flare, "Malhare..." he reminded him in a gruff voice.

Jeremy rolled his eyes, "Fine, Malhare then... You destroyed not only the lives of those children, but their families as well. I'm so sorry that happened to your son, I'd be devastated if that happened to my own, but your response was evil!" He got up into the demon's face, his features etched in rage, "Now I don't know what you're planning, but I will NOT go along with it."

Malhare simply stared down at him, a low grumbly chuckle emanating from him, "Ah-ah, hold on a moment my dear..." he tilted his head, "Did you just mention a son...?" He asked giddily. Jeremy's eyes widened in realization. He should have never mentioned that, especially to him of all people. He shook his head slowly, "I... what...."

Malhare paced the floor, "Strange... I didn't see any child these past 2 days. Have you been hiding him from me, Jeremy?" He asked. Jeremy stood silent, just staring at the creature. Malhare tsked, "Oh come now, you can't take that back. I already know about him, you may as well tell me something." He said, his tone dripping with wicked glee, "Now... where is this son of yours?"

Jeremy tensed up, walking backwards slowly as Malhare creeped closer, "Not that its your business, but he's with his mother right now. We have an agreement between us… one week on, one week off." he grabbed a chair and held it in front of him like a weapon, " Now you're going to tell me what horrible shit you're planning right now or so help me God I-"

Malhare shushed him and slowly tipped the chair down, "Sacrifices are made in the name of science, dear Jeremy. I have many goals that require such sacrifices to be made... I need a host to continue my work, and you so lovingly gave me one... With a host I can return to my experimentation, and that's where this dear boy comes in." 

Jeremy nearly threw up, knowing what Malhare wanted. He wanted to kill Gregory, add him to the ever-so-long list of missing children this company tried to hide. He shook his head in disbelief, "You're never going to get your hands on him.." he said, his warbling as he tried to hold back tears, "And you're not going to take hold of me!" he cried out.

Something changed in Malhare, and he became full of rage. He knocked the chair from Jeremys hands, shrieking in a rage. His eyes turned a glowing red as he grabbed a hold of Jeremy slamming him back into a wall, "Enough! I've had enough of you already!" he screamed, "No matter what you do, what you say, what you want, this merge will come to be! Get it into your damn mind already, Jeremy! I am in control!" the rabbit shrieked at him, sending a shiver down Jeremy's spine. He just stood there in shock, his eyes wide and mouth agape. Malhare finally let go of him, dropping him to the ground. He put a hand against his forehead and paced the room, "You remind me of someone... a stubborn man who never failed to be optimistic..." he turned back to face the scared man, "Do you know what happened to him, Jeremy?" 

Jeremy shook his head slowly. Malhare held out his hand and made a squeezing motion, "I crushed him... his soul, his dreams, his family- all lost to me." he stepped close, His face nearly touching Jeremys, "I did it once before, I'll do it again. Your life will be misery in my hands, Jeremy McConner..." he hissed. Jeremy simply just stared in fear, not daring to make another move towards the rabbit. He was genuinely terrified of the man, and feared angering him further.

Malhare took a step towards him, stopping when a voice echoed throughout the room. The words it spoke were muffled and impossible to make out, but Jeremy knew who it was, "Nessa..." he whispered, feeling relief wash over him. Malhare looked at Jeremy and tsked, "I suppose you'll be needing to leave now... Not to worry. We'll have a chance to talk further on this later... Goodbye, Jeremy." He looked away, folding his arms. The room faded to darkness, everything being engulfed in it just as Jeremy opened his eyes. He looked up to see Vanessa right next to him, looking at him with a caring expression. He couldn't have been happier to see her. He sat up quickly embracing her tightly. Vanessa stood still, a little confused at what was going on, "Hey, you okay, big guy?" she asked. 

Jeremy sighed and smiled, "I'm hoping so... I'm just happy to see you.." he said softly. Vanessa smiled and sat back in her chair, "Oh, well, I'm glad to hear that." she looked up towards a wall clock to her right, "But, uh, I just came back down here to let you know it's time to leave. I already made sure you're clocked out, so you don't have to go back to the office."

Jeremy nodded, "Thanks, Ness. I'll just make sure I'm out of here-" he started to stand up, only for Vanessa to put a hand on his shoulder to stop him, "Woah, listen one second. You can't be driving like this. You were literally acting like you were dying earlier. You can't be in a good place for driving." she said sternly. She held up her own keys and jingled them, "Now come on, I'll take you home tonight." Jeremy smiled softly and nodded in silent agreement. He was happy to have someone who cared about him like that; someone who was there to make sure he was okay. Vanessa held out a hand to help Jeremy up and walked out of the first aid center, waving to Lottie as they left the building.

XX

As the sky grew dark, Vanessa got back to Jeremy's home, making sure to stay parked until she saw him get inside safely. She always worried for him, especially now. She watched as he closed his front door, and finally felt it was safe to leave and go home. She started up her old malibu and drove off to her own house, making sure to keep up with her GPS. She put on her radio, listening to soft music play. It made the stress feel like it was melting off of her shoulders, the soft piano relieving her spirit. She finally felt at ease for the first time in the past two days, feeling like a scary period in her life was finally coming to an end. She knew it was going to be all going up from here.

She was broken from her trance as her phone blared it's obnoxious ringtone. She reminded herself she still needed to change it from that annoying default music as she rummaged through her bag to grab it. Her stomach dropped as she saw the name on her screen; Mikhail. A call from him was either really good or horrible. With the way things were going, she feared it to be the latter. She took a deep breath to muster confidence and put the phone on speaker, "Hey Mikhail! How's it going tonight?" she felt her heart race as she spoke.

"Hey Vanessa!" Mikhail chirped, "I heard about this new job you're getting. I just wanted to wish you well on that. I know Faz. Ent has had a rocky history… especially concerning security… but I think you'll do great." he said in a kind voice. Vanessa was beginning to feel at ease, relieved that the conversation was pleasant, "Thanks, Mick... I'm a little nervous about it all, but I know it's gonna be great," she mused. She heard Mikhail sigh on the other end, not a good sign for her, "I actually need to talk to you about something serious..." he droned, "Nothing you've done, don't worry! You've been a great employee so far!" he assured her. He took a pause before speaking again, "I wanted to talk about Jeremy..."

Vanessa knew this would happen. This was going to be bad. She sighed and flopped her head back onto the headrest. Mikhail continued, "Listen, I know we all have bad weeks, but the big guys up at Faz Ent have been making a lot of complaints about Jeremy... You're the closest to him on the team so I was wondering if there was anything actually going on. I know they tend to overreact in this area."

Vanessa gripped her steering wheel, feeling tense about the entire situation. She didn't know how to explain any of it to Mikhail, or even if she should. She worried she may cost Jeremy his job and make things horrible for him. She wouldn't be able to live with that, "Well... I know he's been feeling really sick. He had a horrible fever earlier, to the point he's been hallucinating. I know he hasn't been going through the proper call out process with this so maybe that's why the company is upset?" she hoped it sounded believable to Mikhail, and hoped he wouldn't ask any major questions. She didn’t want to be the one to explain the hallucination incident to Mikhail.

Mikhail pondered on the information for a moment, "I see... Thank you for talking to me about this, Vanessa. The big guys just kept saying he's been a bad worker this week, and they're trying to get me to kick him off of the team as of today. I don't know what their issue is, especially since this is a recent issue, but I'll tell them this is resolved. Have a good night, kiddo." 

The call clicked off, and Vanessa sighed in relief. She had never been so fearful for Jeremy in her life. First this horrible sickness, and now this close call. This week felt like torture for the both of them, and she just wanted it to be over. She gripped her steering wheel and sighed, trying to shake off the nerves, "Tomorrow is another day..." she assured herself.

XX

"He knows too many things, we can't risk him continuing to work under our company."

"So what do we do? We're not his employers, and they already refused our suggestion."

"We need to keep pushing for it. We can't let this get out to the public. If this is all real, then he knows the truth about everything already. We did too much work to get this covered... I'm not letting this company go under, not when the Pizzaplex is about to open."

"I understand… Do you really think it's Afton? That he really didn't die and he's back?"

"I don't even want to think about it."

  
  
  
  



	7. Some Secrets are Best Left Forgotten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy finds his secret to be found out, but whether or not this helps him he doesn't know. Knowing this company, it won't

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for medication usage

Seething pain ripped through Jeremy’s body. It hit him the moment he woke up, and he wished he could just go back to sleep. However, there were things to do today. He forced himself to sit up, feeling weak from the night before. His entire body was sore and his head was throbbing, though his fever thankfully faded. Fighting Malhares influence was taking a dangerous toll on his body, and he knew he couldn't remain strong much longer. In this state, he wouldn't have the ability to keep control anymore. He wished he had someone, anyone, who believed him and wanted to help him, but he was alone in all of this. Malhare took great glee in that fact, feeling that he was about to become victorious very soon. 

He held his head in his hands, thinking about the performance from the night before, and sobbed. He was angry with the company, and angry with himself. He never knew the lengths of depravity this place was responsible for. He felt as if he may as well have blood on his hands, and had half a mind to ask that he wasn’t credited in the game. He didn’t want any association with it anymore. Though, even if he had that tie severed, he still had the looming threat of Malhare over his head drawing closer every moment. He hoped he could escape him soon, and tried to come up with a plan. He thought he could maybe force him back into the system or the circuit board, but had trouble thinking about how that may work. He could try to go see someone who was a paranormal expert, but he didn’t know how credible or helpful they could be. He pondered on it for a moment, but decided that this would be something to figure out later, once he was feeling better.

He cursed himself for letting it slip about Gregory. In a moment of passion he wasn’t thinking clearly, and now another person, an innocent in all of this, was left in danger of Malhare. He didn’t know what he was going to do about that, or how he was going to keep him safe. He knew that Malhare had the ability to take over his body, and in those times he wouldn’t be there to keep Gregory safe. His heart broke just thinking about anything happening to his son, and he was distraught from the heavy reality of it all. He couldn’t deal with any of this. 

Jeremy was just glad he didn't have to come into the office today. Mikhail had called him late that night to tell him he was excused for being 'sick'. He wished he could tell him what was really going on, but he knew Mikhail never believed in the supernatural or any of the lore behind this company. He would probably laugh it off, call him paranoid or think he's joking, "He’d just be another person to brush off this situation..." Jeremy muttered bitterly. He couldn't exactly blame his coworkers for their reactions. He knew if this was happening to someone else he wouldn't believe it either, but it still hurt now. It made him bitter and sorrowful, and he wasn’t sure how to handle it.

He rubbed the tears from his swollen, red eyes and took a deep breath. There was no time to cry right now, he had to figure out how to deal with a more pressing issue. He hissed in pain and bit his lip as he stood up, his sore muscles betraying him as he tried to just do normal tasks. He used the post at the foot of his bed to help himself stand up, gripping onto the wooden pole for dear life. He felt weak, needing to catch his breath from just standing. It embarrassed him, "I'm so damn pathetic...." he grumbled miserably.

He heard a nasally cackle, and groaned, knowing who it was. Malhare once again appeared in front of him, but in a different form this time. Before he had only appeared as a vague shadow along the wall, now he looked as if he was really in the room with Jeremy, albeit his form glitching periodically. He still had that same sickening grin on his face, 0ne that haunted and taunted Jeremy, "Oh darling~!" He said in a sing-song voice, "Do you have the time right now? I have a proposition for you that I know you just can’t ignore!" He said giddily.

Jeremy spat in his direction, "Piss off, you British jackass." He barked. Malhare stood aback, not expecting that to come from Jeremy. He looked at the rabbit with seething contempt, knowing this pain was all his fault. He stumbled past him, out of his room and into the hall. Malhare skipped close behind him, refusing to leave the man alone even for a moment.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, my friend.... you know how I feel about such language." He tsked, "Ah, next time I take over how about we clean out that foul mouth with some soap, hm?" He giggled deviously. Jeremy just rolled his eyes.

He dragged himself into the kitchen, slamming open his medicine cabinet and grabbing a giant bottle of motrin. He twisted off the orange cap and poured two capsules into his hand. He shook his head and muttered a curse before pouring out two more as well. He grabbed a cup and filled it with water, throwing the capsules in his mouth and chugging the glass, wincing as he felt them drag down his throat.

Malhare crossed his arms, "That seems rather dangerous, doesn't it?" Jeremy scoffed, "Since when did you care about my safety?"

Malhare ran a finger across the marble countertop, leaning against its side, "I care about the health of my host... If the body is ill, I can't exactly carry out my plans, now can I?" Jeremy slammed his cup down, "Don't you ever call me your host again." he hissed, "Get out of here already... I just want to try to enjoy my day off..." he begged that Malhare would leave him alone for the rest of the day. He needed to get Gregory from Lori, and he didn't feel safe with this creature around. He needed to make sure he didn’t appear at any other time. He stopped his thoughts in his tracks and froze, worrying Malhare may be able to read his mind. He hoped that wasn't the case, and looked over to where the rabbit was to make sure he didn't have any kind of reaction. However, it was gone, having heeded to Jeremy's words. He was honestly surprised the damn thing had listened. 

The medicine was starting to kick in, making his pain slowly fade. But taking it without eating anything was making his stomach cramp. He stumbled to the fridge, looking for something to eat to relieve that. He let out a curse when he saw how little food was in it. He always forgot to go grocery shopping, especially since he and Lori split. She was always the one to do those things, after all. He was happy there was at least enough for dinner tonight. He would just have to take Gregory out shopping later on during the weekend. 

He shifted over to the pantry and thankfully found some cereal. He didn't have any milk, and the food was stale and old, but it was at least something. The only pleasure he took in it was knowing eating it was pissing Malhare off. He was oddly fixated on keeping Jeremy pristine, and he was quite picky with absolutely everything. Even still, he could only get halfway through the bowl before feeling ill. He pushed it to the side and pulled out his phone, scrolling through his notifications bar with a scowl on his face. He looked at one that made his stomach drop; Mikhail asking him to simply call. Jeremy felt nervous with Mikhail when it came to work. They were good friends outside of the office, but he did feel a bit intimidated by his boss. He begrudgingly pressed the call button, tapping his fingers on his table nervously. After a few moments Mikhail picked up, sounding chipper, "Jeremy! How are you feeling right now?"

Jeremy groaned and rubbed his eyes, "Feel like a truck hit me. How about you?" Mikhail made a tsk sound, obviously upset his friend was still feeling sick, "Oh, I feel really bad now..." he said nervously. Jeremy knew that tone and didn't like it. He made a nervous face and spoke softly, "Mick, what do you mean? What happened?" 

Mikhail sighed, "Listen, Fazbear Ent. is not happy that this process is taking so long. I know you guys are doing great work, and I believe in our team, but we have an issue...." he took a pause, "The men that hired our team, Mulligan and Ahuja, want to talk to you today. Just for a bit."

Jeremy felt his stomach drop. These two were right by the top of the totem pole in this company. He was always intimidated by them, knowing they were often used as a way to threaten employees in lower positions. If they wanted to talk to him personally, bad things were going to happen. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his composure, "Jeremy, you okay there?" Mikhail asked.

“O-of course, Mikhail. I’ll head over soon.” Jeremy responded. Mikhail stayed silent for just a moment, “That’s good….” he took a sigh, “And Jeremy…. In advance… I’m sorry.” he hung up immediately, sounding very upset. Jeremy was even more worried. Mikhail’s cryptic and secretive nature was not doing well for his nerves, and he dreaded going to see Mulligan and Ahuja even more. This was going to be horrible.

XXX

After getting dressed Jeremy headed out to his car and drove off towards the office. His hands were clammy and his head was spinning. He knew he shouldn’t be driving like this, but he wasn’t about to pay for a ride in. He couldn’t even afford it right now. He just tried his best to stay looking at the road, and kept himself as focused as possible. It was hard when his vision was blurring in and out, but he did his best. He cursed Malhare for doing this to him, for making him feel like this. Fighting him was taking too much strength, and he just hoped he could keep his composure at the meeting. 

When he pulled into the parking lot he hardly even cared that his parking was janky. He didn’t have the time or energy to fix it, and there were more pressing matters at hand. He stuffed his hands into his jacket pocket and took a deep breath, preparing himself for what was coming. 

He heard a familiar crackling noise in his right ear and looked over to find that damned rabbit again. His face made it feel like he was mocking Jeremy, and he just wanted to beat it in. He scowled and looked straight, making a beeline for the door, “What the hell do you want now?” he grumbled quietly. Malhare chuckled a bit, “Oh nothing for now! I just want to watch the meeting, is all.” he clasped his hands together, “Your first ‘talk’ in the company though, how exciting!” he mused.

Jeremy stepped into the vacant elevator in the lobby and made a face, “What does that mean?” Malhare reminisced, “Even as owner of a company, you still have to face judgement and criticism from those around you. I was called in for many talks with my dear friend Henry, all due to accusations of me being shady and malicious.” he sighed, “He was right about that, of course, but it was still unnerving to sit through. I wonder how you’ll hold up…” he said ominously.

Jeremy simply ignored him, focusing on the changing floor numbers from inside the elevator. Mulligan and Ahuja were all the way on the tenth floor of the building, a great sign of their power and status over everything there. He had a feeling he knew what this was all about. Chances were they knew about all of this going on, or knew something was amiss in the building. He didn’t know how he was going to explain it. How do you tell someone with a straight face a rabbit demon version of one of the most vile serial killers in Utah is possessing you? He would probably be chalked off as insane if he told them. But lying didn’t do him any favors either. He felt the knot in his stomach tighten as he kept thinking over it all. Malhare simply stood silently, something Jeremy appreciated.

The elevator doors creaked open to reveal the tenth floor hall. It was much more elegant looking than the other floors, even more so than the grand lobby. Plush, red carpets lined the floor, the walls made up of dark detailed wood. Soft yellow sconce lights lined the hall, and all kinds of lavish furnitures and wall art hung throughout. It was obvious a lot of time and care went into the place. Jeremy took short, nervous steps as he looked for Mulligan and Ahuja’s office. Every time he set his foot down he felt even worse, his heart beating in his throat. He clutched onto his jacket as a way to calm himself, but he knew it wasn’t working.

He came across the final door at the end of the hall, labeled with the mens names in gold lettering. He took a deep breath and knocked, tensing as he waited for a response. The door simply opened slowly, revealing the two intimidating young men sitting at a grand desk. They looked at him with a condescending expression, exerting their status and power over him with no words needed. For a children's entertainment business, they were terrifying in stature and expression. Mulligan held a hand out and motioned for the lone chair in front of them. Jeremy nodded and sat down, looking stiff in posture. He could feel his hands shaking as they stared him down.

Mulligan folded his hands and gently put them on the desk, “Hello, Mr. McConner. My friend and I have been very excited for you to come here.”

Jeremy raised a brow, “You… are, sir?” Mulligan gave him a soft smile, “Of course, of course! We’ve been interested in you for some time since that incident, you know… The supernatural has always been intriguing, especially when it comes to this company.”

Jeremy froze. They knew what had happened. How, he wasn’t sure, but they knew this was going on. Ahuja raised a hand, seeing the shocked and unnerved look on Jeremy’s face, “Now I’m sure you’re wondering how we know these things..” he leaned forward, bracing himself with the desk, “I know there weren’t any obvious cameras in that office, but we like to keep tabs, Jeremy. We have eyes everywhere, whether you know it or not.” he scowled, “And we don’t like what’s been happening.”

Mulligan sighed and continued, “I’m just going to cut to the chase. We know about this ‘virus’. What was it you called it again?” he asked.

Jeremy felt himself shake. He was terrified, and also even relieved somehow. Someone finally believed him, finally knew what he was talking about, but he knew it wasn’t someone who was going to help him, “I-it calls itself Malhare…” he mumbled.

Ahuja stood back and folded his arms, “Malhare, hmm? A very interesting name, to be sure…” He peered down at Jeremy and furrowed his brows, “And… about that conversation you had with miss Vanesa… You claim this ‘Malhare’ to be William Afton?” he sounded bitter saying the name, “Now, I can understand some kind of odd possession case… It's unfortunately what people know about our company the most. However, I do not like you claiming that this being is William Afton of all people, Mr. McConner.” his voice was filled with a quiet rage, “Not at all…”

Jeremy felt embarrassed, feeling the weight of the situation close in on him, “He claims he’s a copy of him, some kind of digital backup of his mind he made years ago.” he braced himself, knowing he was about to sound even crazier, “He told me everything he had done. Every atrocity that happened here and the reason behind all of it.” he suddenly felt some confidence rise in him as he thought back to Malhare’s performance. He scowled at the men, “And the fact that you’re trying to cover this up and hide what he’s done is vile. The families of the dead are still hurting today, and making a mockery of it makes a joke of them. How dare you.” he hissed.

Mulligan looked at Jeremy with contempt, “These are some very hefty claims, McConner. If you know so much about this company and what’s supposedly happened, I’m sure you don’t mind telling us everything ‘Mr. Afton’ has told you, hmm?” he said in an angry, mocking tone.

Jeremy felt his face flush over, from anger and embarrassment, but he tried to stay steadfast, “He told me about remnant, and all of the experiments he had performed using those children. He told me about what the Funtime characters were truly for, and what he did with them. He told me all about how this company sealed him into those backrooms after the springlock incident to cover it up, and then about how when he was recovered from there you all tried to destroy him.” Ahuja and Mulligan still looked merely angry with him, as if nothing he said shocked him. He needed to think up something only they and William would know, something that was kept from the public. He thought of the play Malhare performed, and it clicked finally, “And I know what really happened when that fire broke out. Henry Emily and William's son were trying to destroy this company once and for all, destroying all pieces of remnant all at once, and they sacrificed themselves to do so.” He slammed a hand on the table, “You all claimed it was a freak accident that Henry got caught in, and hid the fact that either or those Aftons were there. You buried the truth of that night so you could make this damn mall and stuff your wallets! That’s sick! People are dead because of you, and now I’ve got this thing stuck in my head and trying to get me to do horrible things!” 

He stood up quickly, knocking over the chair. He gripped his head, pulling on his orange curls as he felt everything spin around him. The fatigue and the absolute fear of the superiors were getting to him and he couldn’t handle it. Mulligan and Ahuja looked scared as well. They knew that the only people who would have known about the Henry incident would be them and the people involved. They spent hundreds of thousands to get it covered up, so there was no way in Hell Jeremy had heard it from some tabloid or news source. They finally realized Jeremy wasn’t lying, and that Malhare was indeed the man they had tried so hard to get people to forget about. How this happened or why they had no idea, but Jeremy was telling the truth.

Mulligan stormed from behind the desk, running up to Jeremy and grabbing him by the collar, “If you’re in there, show yourself, you piece of shit! How are you still here?!” he directed those words to Malhare, half terrified of getting a response from him. Jeremy looked up at the man, his eyes wide in fear. He didn’t look as if he was entirely there, but there was still no sign of Malhare. Mulligan shook him again, “Well?! Come on out!” 

He watched as Jeremy’s distraught and terrified face twisted into a stiff, malicious smile. Mulligan felt a shiver go through his body, recognizing the expression to be Williams' cold and lifeless smirk. His hands loosened on Jeremys collar, letting him go. He stepped back until he reached his desk, genuinely terrified of what was standing before him.

Malhare stood in Jeremy’s body, simply staring down both men with absolute disgust, “He was right, you know…” he took slow steps forward, unnerving both men, “I mean, I had an eye for business, but not even I would purposely cash off the tragedies of countless people to maintain my wealth. You two are sick in your own way-” He got close to Mulligan's face, their noses nearly touching, “-And I don’t want either of you to forget that.”

Mulligan was breathing heavily, his body going cold and clammy, “What do you even want now…? What do you have to gain?” he asked in fear.

Malhare grimaced and grabbed a hold of the man, “That is none of your business… All you need to know is I’m here. I never left, and I never will. The worst is yet to come, Mr. Mulligan…. I suggest you enjoy the peace while you can.”

He let go control of the body, letting Jeremy fall limp to the floor, unconscious. Mulligan jumped back away from his body, looking to his colleague with fear. Ahuja ran around the desk and lifted Jeremy up, trying to get him to wake up. He looked at Mulligan, his face pale, “This is worse than we thought…. We can’t let anyone know what’s happening.”

Mulligan slammed his hand on the desk, “What are we supposed to do then? He knows everything and William is here and alive somehow through him. How do we handle this?! We put too much work into saving this company’s face and I’m not going to let that go to waste!”

Ahuja looked down at Jeremy, thinking intently, “We… we need to get rid of him somehow.”

“What, do you want to kill him or something?!”   
  


“Of course not, you idiot!” Ahuja barked, “Maybe we can get him locked away, get him written off as crazy or frame him for a crime for something... Just anything to get him in a place where our secrets are safe and Afton is away from the public. Who knows what he could do if he were loose in the world….” 

Mulligan nodded slowly, liking the idea, “We can make that happen.... Anything to keep this place going. We can’t afford another tragedy under our name…”

Ahuja sighed, “Then it’s settled.” he looked down at Jeremy, a glimpse of sympathy in his eyes, “I’m so sorry….” he whispered. He looked towards Mulligan and pointed towards the pager on the desk, “Call Lottie, or whoever’s in the medical office right now. Tell her he just passed out or something and have her get him patched up. We’ll handle paperwork for this later.” 

Mulligan nodded and called, explaining an embellished version of the story to the nurse. Ahuja looked back down at Jeremy, who he was still holding up. He was still limp and heavy in his arms, but he could see signs of stirring. A part of him felt bad for the man, but he knew what had to be done to save this business, to do something for the greater good. He tried to convince himself this was doing the right thing, but he still felt horrible guilt. He knew Jeremy wasn’t crazy or malicious, and he knew locking him away wouldn’t be good for him, but he knew what was to happen if he didn’t do this and tried to stay resolute, no matter how much it would hurt. He needed to make sure that this company lived on no matter what. Adding one more body to the pile to ensure that wouldn’t change too much. The heap was already too vast to reign in.


	8. Keepaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy is stuck with the challenge of keeping Gregory safe while keeping Malhare at bay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW Blood, slight emetophobia and mild injury

“So it looks like you still have a fever, and you had a rough fall, but other than that you’re fine. Even then, you need to take medicine and get some rest. Do you need me to call someone to come get you?” Lottie asked, giving Jeremy a sympathetic look.

Jeremy shook his head and grumbled, “I’m fine, Lottie.” He looked down at his watch and tsked, “Listen, it’s almost 3, I need to go get my son from his mom soon. Thank you for the help, though.” He got up and grabbed his coat off the wall hanger, readying himself to leave. Lottie raised a brow, “Okay, but when you get home do something to help yourself. Take some medicine, go to bed early, just something…” she looked concerned,”You’re not going to be in a good position if you keep neglecting your health like this, McConner. You need to slow down.” she sounded genuinely concerned for him. She knew how bad he let it get last time, and she wasn’t about to let him get hurt like that again.

Jeremy looked back to the little old lady and nodded, “Of course, Lottie. .” he walked through the doorway, stopping for a moment to give her a wave before he left. Lottie frowned, feeling him to be a little rude. She tried to brush it off as him being sick, but even last time he was still kind. Something was different… wrong in a way. 

As soon as he was out of the office, Jeremy made a beeline for the entrance, out to his car. The moment he was out of the door Malhare appeared again, chuckling deviously, “My, that was quite the event, wasn’t it, dear Jeremy?” he mused.

Jeremy flipped him off and kept walking, refusing to speak to the creature. He got into his car, aggressively closing the door and slamming the key into its slot, driving off to Lori’s home. Malhare sat patiently and quietly in the passenger's seat, turning slowly to the angry man, “My, not even wearing a seatbelt? For someone so concerned with his safety you don’t seem to be taking proper precautions…” he taunted.

Jeremy gripped the wheel so hard his knuckles turned white, “Can you just leave me alone for a minute?” he was on the verge of tears, “Can I have one moment without you being absolute torture?”

Malhare clasped his hands together and giggled in an ugly tone, “But that’s my purpose! Though… I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to give you some time alone… do with it what you will, my boy…” with that he faded out of sight, reverting back to his place in Jeremy’s mind. He sighed in relief, enjoying the brief moment of silence he knew wouldn’t last. Even so, there wasn’t peace. 

His mind kept returning to the meeting, and he felt ready to vomit. He finally had two people that believed him, who knew what was happening, and they were working against him, refusing to help get rid of Malhare and help him. They found it easier to just cover it up and go on with their lives as if he didn’t even exist. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised. It was Fazbear Entertainment, no one cared about your happiness or safety here, especially if it cost any time and money. He would have to solve this himself, but how?

Jeremy decided he would figure this out later. He needed to go get Gregory, and he needed to be in the right headspace for the night. He didn’t want Gregory to be exposed to this mess, and he wanted to keep him protected from Malhare. That was his main goal in all of this. He would never be able to forgive himself if something bad happened to the kid because of this supernatural nonsense. 

He looked to one of the little pictures he had taped by the corner of his windshield; a tiny photo of him holding Gregory on his lap at some amusement park the family had visited before the split. The three of them were so happy, so blissfully unaware of what was to come. He wanted that back so badly. His face became determined as he looked at the happy photo, and he knew what he had to do. He focused back on the road and whispered out a solemn promise, “Whatever it is I have to do, I will never let this creature hurt you… even if it hurts me.” He hated thinking of a possibility of himself getting hurt, but he was willing to do anything for his son, even dying for him. He had never thought life would come to that, but it was seeming like now it was. He hated that, but he was prepared for it.

Jeremy was never really religious, but he prayed the rest of the way to Lori’s home. He prayed that he would be safe, that Greg and Lori would be well, and that this nightmare would end. He hoped he could find a solution to this mess, and pleaded with God that he would. He was absolutely desperate for it, and he promised that he would give something, anything, just to go back to a normal life, no matter what it was. He longed to go back to movie nights with his family, happy days, and working on video games with his best friend by his side. His heart felt softer thinking of the better times. 

He felt more at ease after his prayer, feeling his mood lighten a little as he pulled into Lori’s driveway. She and Gregory were already outside waiting for him, the young boy holding a small bag of things he wanted to bring with him in one hand and Chips in the other. Lori simply smiled seeing Jeremy pull up, a genuine and warm expression to be sure. Jeremy felt the tension begin to melt off of him, happy to see the two people who cared for him the most. He rushed around the side of his car, meeting with Gregory in a tight embrace. Gregory smiled up at him, his tiny face etched with pure excitement, “You’re here! You’re here!” he shrieked happily, bouncing up and down.

Jeremy smiled weakly and tousled his hair, “Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve been waiting for today!” Gregory giggled and pulled away, running to the car to put his stuff away. Jeremy watched as he preoccupied himself with trying to open the door and took the chance to talk to Lori. He stood up and brushed off his coat, giving Lori a serious look, “Lori, I just-”

She held a hand up, giving him a concerned look, “Jeremy, stop.” she said softly. Jeremy froze, knowing this was leading to a talk. Lori lowered her eyes and sighed, “I’ve been talking to Vanessa… She told me some of the stuff going on with you.” she saw Jeremy’s face turn to worry and embarrassment. She sighed and shook her head, “Jeremy, please, why didn’t you tell me? I know we aren’t… together, but I still care about you. We’re still friends, and I thought you would tell me about all of this.” She looked frustrated and upset. Tears fell onto her cheek, her tan skin glistening, “I get so worried about you… I was so scared when she told me about this…”

Jeremy felt a huge wave of guilt wash over him. He didn’t know how to tell her the truth. He knew she wouldn’t react well to it, as she was never one to believe in the supernatural, so he knew she wouldn’t take the truth for an answer. He sighed and tried to come up with something, “I know how much you worry, Lori… That’s why I didn’t say something. I know you have plenty of things going on in life and I didn’t want you to be worried about something small like this.” he tried his best to look convincing, and held back every impulse to tell her about Malhare and the recent events.

Lori stepped close to him and gripped him by the shoulders, “Listen to me. I may have a lot of things going on in life, but don’t you ever forget you are a part of it. I appreciate that you want to make things easy for me, but not telling me when something like this happens doesn’t do that.” her expression changed from sorrow to a soft and doting look, “Never forget that you’re important to me… I’m glad you look like you’re doing better, but please don’t hesitate to talk to me if something happens.” she looked over to the car, where Gregory was playing with his toy rabbit in the backseat. She looked back at Jeremy and gave him a soft smile, “If you need help at all this week or if things get bad again, I can come get him and we can reschedule our weeks.” 

Jeremy opened his mouth to protest, but Lori continued on, “Part of being there for Gregory is making sure you are okay and healthy enough to take care of him. You can agree with that, right?” Jeremy couldn’t argue with her. He knew she was right, as much as he didn’t want to admit it. He slowly nodded and forced a smile through his bitter demeanor, “Of course, Lori… I’ll call right away if something happens.”

Lori held up her phone, “It doesn’t matter what time it is, what day, or anything. If you’re feeling like that again, please tell me.” she looked deep into his eyes, seeing into his emotions. It pained her so deeply to see him like this, and she wished she could do something to make him better. She didn’t know what came over her, but she quickly ran in to hug him, holding her friend tight. Jeremy was in shock for a moment, but quickly melted into it. It had been so long since he had done this with Lori, and he so dearly missed it. It had been undeniably awkward for the past few months, and simply feeling her embrace again made that disappear.

Knowing that this was all to go away soon, that he would likely never have this again because of Malhare, broke his heart. He tried to push the thoughts from his mind, but the closer and closer Malhare drew in on him, the harder it was to forget about the merge, and about his ‘higher purpose’. He slowly pulled away from the hug, looking down at Lori with a sincere and solemn expression, “I’ll see you soon… have a good week.” he forced a tiny smile, just trying to be polite, and made his way towards the car. He felt bad leaving so abruptly, but he couldn’t handle this. He needed to protect himself from hurting further, and any true reconciliation would just make this all harder. 

He checked that Gregory was sitting and buckled into the backseat, then drove off into the night. Lori was left alone, standing outside her home in the crisp Autumn air. She so desperately wanted to chase down the car, to go home with the two of them. She knew that he needed to have her, or someone deeply close to him, with him that night. She just wished he would let someone know what the full story was, and how they could help.

She had known Jeremy since they were in middle school. She remembered those days of sneaking behind the bleachers to steal a kiss and talk, and thought of them fondly. As she walked back inside she thought back to all of their good times, remembering all of the good about Jeremy. He was kind, to her and others, and always the most jovial person in the room. It was near impossible to be sad for long if he was around, and she loved that about him. His happiness and love for life and others was infectious, and she missed having that around every day of her life.

She missed it even more so now. This Jeremy was not the one she had known and loved. This Jeremy was solemn and broken, and she did not know this man. He looked as if he had given up on life and himself, and she knew it was getting worse by the day. He was pale and gaunt, his face etched in misery and emptiness. Jeremy was gone and replaced with a deeply hurt man. Her conversation with Vanessa terrified her, and she was even more scared of it growing to even deeper depths of depravity. Lori wanted to do something about it, but what it was she didn’t know. This happened so suddenly, so out of nowhere. She didn’t even know what was truly wrong with him, and didn’t know if it was something that could be helped. She simply prayed that it would be resolved soon. She walked back into the house closing the door behind her gently.

Jeremy was mostly silent during the ride home, lost in his thoughts over the situation. It unnerved Gregory, who was used to having lengthy talks with his father on just about anything. The two could never be quiet for long, so he knew this was wrong. He wrung his hands and kicked his little legs, trying to muster the courage to say something. He was scared that Jeremy may even be angry with him, and he hated the thought of it. He took a deep breath and started, “We had a test today…” he murmured.

Jeremy slowly came to attention, processing what Gregory was saying. He smiled softly and replied, “Oh? Did you do well on it?” 

Gregory felt a smile creep on his face, his fears relieved once Jeremy started talking, “Yeah! My teacher put a sticker on it and everything!” he giggled in excitement, happy and proud of his achievement, “It was a little bear with a smiley face, so I think that’s good!”

Jeremy let out a soft laugh and shook his head, “You’re enjoying yourself though?” he forced himself to sound happy. He needed to make Gregory feel comfortable, and he worried his silence did the opposite. Gregory simply nodded, bouncing in his seat, “I made friends and the work is easy.” he thought for a moment and gasped, “Oh! I know how to spell my name now!”

Jeremy raised a brow and looked back at him, “Really? Show me.”

Gregory thought hard and spoke, “G… R-E-G-O-R-Y!” he exclaimed. Jeremy smiled wider, being lifted temporarily from his miserable state, “That’s amazing, kiddo! I’m proud of you!”

“As you should be…” a deep voice remarked.

Jeremy jumped, nearly swerving the car off the road. Gregory yelped as the car jerked, looking out the window to see if anything was outside to make Jeremy do that. The road was oddly empty, however. He looked in the rear view mirror to see Malhare seated next to Gregory, folding his hands. Jeremy’s heart jumped, knowing the demon was so close to him and within reach of his son. It took him a moment to be reminded that Greg couldn’t even see him. Malhare was only real and visible to himself. Jeremy still remained tense, however.

Malhare looked over at the little boy, intrigued by him. He studied his features closely and looked back to Jeremy, “Such a sweet child…. Reminds me of my own son…. “ he paused for a moment, reminiscing, “Evan, that is.... It’s a shame he’s a prime candidate for the remnant experiments…” he lamented.

Jeremy gripped the wheel tighter, feeling his heartbeat in his throat. A mixture of anger and fear swelling inside of him, “Stop it… Shut the-” he stopped himself, looking at Gregorys face in the mirror. He looked a bit scared, and even hurt. In a rage Jeremy had forgotten that Gregory couldn’t see or hear the demon, and probably took that personally. Jeremy quickly stopped on the side of the road and turned his body back to look at Greg, “Oh geez, I wasn’t talking to you Greg.”

Gregory looked uneasy, “You promise?”

Jeremy nodded quickly, “Of course, of course…” he tried to think of an excuse, “ I’ve just been having a bad day at work and I was thinking out loud. Just got kinda mad with my boss. I’ll make sure not to do that anymore, okay kiddo?” he reached back and tousled his hair. Gregory cracked a small smile and held his stuffed rabbit close, “Okay.”

Jeremy sighed in relief and went back to driving, making sure to make things more comfortable for Gregory. He continued to talk to Gregory throughout the ride, talking about teachers and classwork the whole way home. He had to hide that he was hurting deeply, and didn’t even feel up to talking at all, but the happiness of his son was more important to him now. He even felt it helping his spirits a bit, and having that conversation was making him get his mind off of everything, even if for just a moment. It was the first true feeling of peace he had felt in a while.

XX 

Gregory burst into the front door, dragging his bags behind him to his room. He didn’t even bother to take off his shoes. Jeremy didn’t bother to say anything about it. He simply shuffled his way over to the couch, sitting down gingerly. He sighed as the cushions enveloped his sore body, taking all the pressure from the day off of him. Lottie was definitely right. He needed that rest, though he knew he most likely wasn’t going to get it. Between Malhare and taking care of a child, he had his hands full for the day. He’d just have to power through the exhaustion. 

Gregory ran back into the room, squeezing Chips and a folder tight to his chest. He took a running jump onto the couch, flopping on top of Jeremy while laughing hysterically. Jeremy jumped in shock, but quickly smiled at the antics, “Hey, come on now, you know we don’t jump on the couch.” he reprimanded softly. Gregory sat down, hunched over, a bit embarrassed, and murmured, “Sorry….”

Jeremy held him close and took the folder from his hands, “It’s okay, kiddo.” he waved the folder in his hand, “What’s this though?”

Gregory flopped his head back and gave an exaggerated sigh, “Homework…” he grumbled, “I already go to school all DAY and there’s still stuff!” he exclaimed.

Jeremy shook his head and placed the folder onto the table, “It’s just how it is, Greg.” he looked down at the papers inside and back to the boy, “It’s only two papers, so I think we can get this done quickly.” Gregory still looked upset and doubtful. Jeremy motioned his head towards the TV, “And we can watch a movie once we get done too.”   
  


Gregory’s face lit up quickly, and he fell for the bribe. He immediately grabbed a pencil and started working quickly, focusing intensely on the paper. Jeremy simply watched, making sure he was there to help if it was needed and make sure the work was right. Gregory still didn’t have great handwriting, which made his answers hard to read, but they were at least correct. He felt content knowing Gregory was doing well. It gave him a sense of pride in his son.

That feeling was short lived, as Malhare appeared on the opposite side of the table, sitting on the ground and folding his hands on the table. His eyes bore into Jeremy, the same unnerving expression filling him with dread. Malhare looked over to Greg, still deeply interested in the boy. He studied every movement, every little detail about him. It made Jeremy on edge, ready to defend himself and Greg at any moment. He couldn’t tell what the creature was planning or thinking, and he hated it even more. He wanted to know what nasty trick he had up his sleeve, what he was going to do and when. He watched for the slightest movement from Malhare, making sure Gregory was safe. For now, it seemed the rabbit was in the clear.

But then, he un-clasped his hands, slowly reaching over to Gregory. Jeremy felt his heart beat fast and his stomach drop, watching the golden paw grow closer and closer to the boy's arm. Just as he was about to reach him, Jeremy launched himself from his seat to tackle him away from Gregory. Malhare jumped in surprise and disappeared from sight, avoiding Jeremy. The man fell headfirst into the entertainment center, shaking the shelving and causing the TV to crash onto him. Gregory stood up quickly, yelping in fear. He quickly ran around the table to Jeremy, trying his best to lift the TV set up. His tiny little arms couldn’t handle it, and just left him yanking on it as hard as possible, “Daddy, what happened?!” he cried out. He was confused and scared, not even knowing if Jeremy was okay. 

Jeremy groaned and slowly picked himself up, lifting the set off of him with no issue. He stood it up and pushed it to the side, ignoring his own pain and focusing on Gregory. He looked at him with wide eyes and spoke frantically, “Greg, are you okay?”

Gregory looked ready to cry, “Yeah but you’re not!” he pointed to Jeremy’s head, “You have blood!” Jeremy put a hand to his head and felt a small stream of blood dripping it’s way down. He wiped it onto his shirt and groaned, cursing himself for being so stupid. He was so focused on being protective of Gregory, he had forgotten that Malhare was unable to be seen, heard, or felt by him. He did all of that for nothing.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Gregory cry. He looked at the child, who was covering his eyes with little fists and shaking. Jeremy quickly held him close, pulling Greg into his lap and enveloping himself around him, “Oh God, I’m so sorry…. I shouldn’t have scared you like that… I’m sorry Greg.” the little boy continued to cry, burrowing himself closer into his father. 

Jeremy felt guilty and completely awful. He couldn’t even explain what was going on, knowing it would make it worse. He just had to be more careful now, making sure not to let Gregory see any effects from Malhare. He needed to act like he didn’t exist, as hard as that may be. He looked up in front of him and scowled as the rabbit appeared again, cackling wickedly.

“Oh, I thought you were so much smarter than this, Jeremy! If I had known you could be messed with that easily I would have been able to have so much fun!” Jeremy gave him a bitter and angry look as he continued to laugh. As Malhare came down from the fit, he sighed and held his hands together, “Ah, forgive me for that scene… Your gullibility is just hysterical!” he mused.

Jeremy refused to answer him, simply drawing his attention back to Gregory, who was slowly calming down. He spoke softly, “Are you okay?”

Gregory wiped away his tears, his eyes red and puffy, “Y-yeah…. I just got scared….” Jeremy sighed and held him tighter, “I’m so sorry… I shouldn’t have that…” he tried to think of something to make it better, looking around the house for any ideas. His eyes fell to the kitchen and he thought of something. He tilted up Gregory’s face to look at him and forced a smile, “Hey, why don’t we go get cleaned up and we can make whatever you want for dinner now? You can choose whatever you want.” he offered. Gregory’s face changed as he thought about it for a moment. A tiny smile came across his face and he sniffled, wiping his eyes again, “Yeah... Can we?” 

Jeremy nodded and stood, wincing at the pain from that stunt, “Of course! Now come on, we have work to do.” He carried Gregory into the kitchen, sitting him on the counter. He grabbed a washcloth and a first aid kit from the drawer, wiping the blood from his face and putting a patch at the source. He winced, feeling the pain throb through his head like a migraine.

He put the kit back and looked through the pantry cabinets. Unfortunately, there wasn’t too much in them. At least, not much to make a full meal. He scanned over the boxes inside and finally found something usable. He pulled out two boxes of mac and cheese and shook them around, “You want to make something with these, Greg?”

Gregorys face lit up, “That’s my favorite! Mama makes it with hotdogs and it’s so good!” he exclaimed. 

Jeremy felt a smile creep up on his face, “Alright! I think I have those too. Get em from the fridge and I’ll get it started.” 

Gregory hopped down from the counter and clammored to the fridge. He found the package quickly and handed it up to Jeremy, standing on his tiptoes trying to reach the counter. Jeremy took it and turned towards the stove, jumping and dropping the package in shock. Malhare stood mere centimeters from his face, his hot breath crawling over Jeremy’s skin. He backed up slowly, picking up the package from the ground and putting a protective arm in front of Gregory. Gregory was just left even more confused and scared, “Daddy, what’s wrong?” he asked, his voice warbling. From his perspective, Jeremy was just staring at the open air, remaining silent and resolute. Gregory stood behind him, holding onto the back of his shirt while Jeremy continued to stare down Malhare. He didn’t know what to say or do, or if he could even do anything to help.

It took only a few moments, what felt like forever to Greg, until Jeremy finally made a move. He stood up straight and looked back to the little boy, looking weary and scared, “We’re going to be okay… He can’t hurt us.” he assured him. Gregory frowned and looked up at his father, unnerved, “Who’s trying to hurt us? Are you okay?” he sounded even more scared for his father, and was scared for himself. There was some creature, something that wanted to hurt him, that he couldn’t see or hear. It made him scared that this thing could be lurking around any corner. His little heart couldn’t take it. He simply just held onto Jeremy, wrapping his arms around his leg in an attempt to feel safe. Jeremy reached down and put a gentle hand on his head, half paying attention as if he were in a trance. 

He motioned over to the stove and tried to force a smile onto his face, “Come on now… Why don’t we try to have fun?” Gregory still looked scared, and unconvinced that everything was okay. This wasn’t the father he knew, and he was scared. He just wanted things to be normal, though he knew that was just a wish that wouldn’t come true. Jeremy could feel Gregory’s fear, and simply scooped him up in his arms, an attempt to make him feel safer, “Let’s just enjoy tonight, okay?” he asked softly.

Gregory nodded slowly, his face still twisted into a worried expression. He sunk into Jeremy, burrowing closer while not speaking a single word. Jeremy gently sat him on the counter and continued to make dinner, though an awkward silence sat between them. Jeremy wasn’t sure what to say, and Gregory wasn’t sure how to feel. Jeremy thought long and hard about what he could do to make things better, as Greg’s happiness was a priority to him now. 

“So, what did you and your mom do this week?” he knew it was a bland conversation starter, but it was the only one he could think of. He stirred the pot in front of him and listened as the microwave hummed. Gregory didn’t respond at first, but finally spoke, “Nothin… we just did normal stuff and I went to school…” He looked to the ground and swung his legs as they dangled from the counter, “I dunno, I was bored.” 

Jeremy turned off the stove and looked at him, “Well, we can have fun tonight then.” he grabbed plates from the cabinet next to him and set them up with their dinners, “Why don’t we go and watch movies while we eat? Your choice!” 

Gregory looked out the window to see the dark sky, knowing it was now late. He gave Jeremy a confused look, “ I gotta go to bed soon though.”

Jeremy sighed, “Listen, tonight was bad and I’ll admit to that. I’m sorry for what happened and I want to make that up to you.” he gave him a small smile, “So, you can stay up just a little later tonight. How does that sound?” 

He saw a smile creep up on Gregory’s face, the little boy becoming happy at the deal. He could never turn down an opportunity to stay up later. He nodded and hopped down from the counter, running off into the living room, “Let’s go!” Jeremy shook his head, smiling softly. He never underestimated Gregory’s ability to become happy in a snap. He was at least happy to see a smile on his little face, the guilt from making him cry earlier beginning to overtake him. 

By the time he was out in the living room with their plates, Gregory was already curled up under a blanket, Chips by his side, trying to figure out the TV remote. He still couldn’t read all too well, and the loads of buttons confused him. Jeremy handed him a plate and took the remote from him, “Here, I’ll get it started up for you.”

Gregory happily took the food and smiled, “Thank you daddy.” he clumsily picked up a spoonful of food, taking one bite for himself and pretending to feed Chips. Jeremy smiled, “Make sure you’re being careful, you don’t want him to get stained.” 

Gregory nodded, speaking with a mouthful of food, “I know!” he looked back to the TV, leaning on Jeremy as he flipped through the channels. He tugged on Jeremy’s arm as a flash of an old Disney movie came onto the screen, “Can we watch this one?” he asked excitedly. Jeremy paused to look at the movie, quickly recognizing it as Mulan, an older cartoon he recognized from his childhood. He raised a brow, “Are you sure? Some of it might be scary to you.” 

Gregory leaned his head against Jeremy’s arms and looked up at him, pleading, “Pleaseeee!” 

Jeremy smiled and put down the remote, “”Okay, okay.”

Gregory was completely enthralled by the movie, loving every moment of it. The action, the characters, and the music. Some parts did indeed scare him, but he was too interested in the story to care all that much. He just wanted to see the main characters win and save the day in the end. He held onto Chips and leaned onto Jeremy throughout the entire film, happy that something normal happened that night. Maybe, just maybe, things were okay. He hoped they were. 

As the movie came to a close, Gregory found himself exhausted. The night sky was pitch black outside and the only source of light was the television screen now. Jeremy looked down at the boy who was now sprawled across his lap, rubbing his eyes as he fought sleep. He gently lifted him and carried him to his room, laying him down in his bed for the night. As he tucked him in, Gregory spoke, “I really liked that movie…”. Jeremy smiled, “That’s good.. What did you like about it?” Gregory smiled and yawned, “I like that she was strong… and she kept her family safe…” he paused for a moment and looked at Jeremy, “Are you gonna do that too?”

Jeremy smiled and tousled his hair, “I’m always going to keep you safe, Gregory. No matter what happens to me, I will always be there protecting you. Do you believe that?”

Gregory smiled and held the rabbit toy closer, “Yeah…” he held out his hand, his pinky extended, “Promise?”

Jeremy linked his pinky onto Gregory’s, “I promise.”


	9. What the Heart Desires

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a last bid attempt to get Jeremy on his side, Malhare tries to find out what he desires most

“Good evening, Jeremy!”

Jeremy groaned and lifted his head, finding himself in an elaborately decorated version of the hub. The cloth on the table was a light pink with lace trimmings, and sparkly confetti was splayed across it. Nice, china plating and beautiful silverware sat in front of him. Little trinkets decorated the table and tall vases full of flowers sat around the pair. Everything seemed to be ready for some kind of odd tea party. Jeremy looked down at himself to find himself dressed in a pale blue suit, prepared for an event of some kind. Just as always, he was confused about his surroundings in this dreamscape. 

“Now we can finally talk! And my, do we have much to discuss!” the voice said again.

Jeremy looked up straight in front of him to see Malhare, which was no surprise. What was a surprise was just how different the creature was this time. His outfit had entirely changed, the simple vest being swapped out for something more elaborate. A flowing, white poet's blouse was worn underneath an embroidered satin vest. The rabbit wore bright white gloves upon his large paws, and he had a large black top hat upon his head, a shiny gold ribbon and blue flower adorned on it. 

Besides the outfit, there was one other major change; his face. For as long as Jeremy had been acquainted with the demon, the creature's face had been stiff and unmoving. Now, he was completely animated, his expressions free to change, his eyes blinking, and his mouth moving. He actually could move properly like a person. Jeremy couldn’t tell if it was more unnerving than the state he was in before. 

He bit his lip and looked around the room, finding the place to be much lighter and more cheerful. He didn’t trust the happiness and joy emanating from it. Something had to be amiss. He looked back to Malhare with an untrusting look, “Okay then, what kind of awful trick do you have up your sleeve?”

Malhare raised a brow, looking confused. He placed his head in his hand and tilted it to the side, “Whatever do you mean, love?” 

Jeremy rolled his eyes, “Come on, the tea party? The cute-sy aesthetic? This has to be an act of some kind. I know your game at this point.” Malhare drummed his fingers on the table, looking down and not responding to him. Jeremy scoffed and continued, “Malhare, what kind of shit do you have planned this time?” 

Malhare tsked and shook his head, “Nothing at all, my dear! Can’t two friends simply have a party to celebrate such a momentous occasion as a merge?”

Jeremy scowled and grabbed at the table cloth, “I’m not your friend, jackass. And did you really think I would want to celebrate this? You taking over my body and forcing me to do awful things? Are you insane?”

Malhare sighed, “Many people think I am, so you could be right, I suppose.” he held up a finger, “But, I think it would be great for us to simply talk, have a party between good friends and get to know each other more.” he sighed and tilted his head to the side, “Lord knows you need a pick-me-up. You look miserable.”

Jeremy scoffed, fidgeting with the silverware in front of him, “Yeah, who’s fault do you think that is?” he said bitterly.

Malhare sighed, “Now Jeremy, you can’t blame me for everything..”

“Watch me.”

Malhare scoffed in disgust, “It doesn’t help to be rude, Jeremy… Especially when I’m trying to do something so nice for you!” he exclaimed in a dramatic tone. He flopped himself back in his chair looking to the side with a miffed expression, “If you gave me a chance I could tell you what that is…”

Jeremy raised a brow, “You of all people… wanted to do something for me?” he didn’t sound convinced, “But of course!” Malhare said. He stood and leaned across the table, getting close to Jeremy’s face, “I want to know what I can do to make you listen to me.” he tilted his head to the side and looked at Jeremy inquisitively, “What is it that you want in life? Money or fame, maybe? Good looks?” he ruffled Jeremy’s hair and scoffed, “Looking at you Lord knows you could use some.”

Jeremy scoffed, turning red in the face, “You’re horrible… And besides, there’s nothing you can give me. I’m happy where I am.” he sighed and reminisced on his life, “I have a family and friends who love me… I may be poor, but it’s enough to get by so I don’t need money…” he fixed his hair and looked at Malhare with an offended expression, “And I happen to love how I look. Maybe before you talk about someone like that you should buy a mirror. You look and smell like shit.” he spat on the table cloth in bitterness.

Malhare looked angry, his purple eyes narrowing as he stared down the man in front of him. He looked the man up and down, his eyes catching something glinting on Jeremy. His face twisted into a cruel smile, “Oh, but I think I know something you want. Something you want more than anything.” Jeremy looked doubtful, “Oh do you now?”

He jumped back in shock as Malhare grabbed his right hand, yanking a silver ring off of his finger. Jeremy recognized it immediately and reached across the table in a panic, “Give it back! I need that!” 

Malhare leaned back in his seat, smiling deviously as he watched the ring glint in the light, “What a lovely little wedding band! A strange thing to wear for someone who’s single.” He looked back to Jeremy, knowing he had him cornered, “How long have you had this little thing on your hand, despite the fact you haven’t been married in months?” he closed his hand around the band and chuckled, “Now, why would you keep it then? There’s no reason for it…. Unless… you aren’t over her yet, are you?”

Jeremy tensed up. Malhare was entirely correct. That band meant absolutely everything to him. He couldn’t bear to part with the ring and what it represented. He still missed Lori, and missed having her by his side. She was the best part of his life, and even though it was a mutual decision to split, he wanted nothing more than to call her his wife again. He truly loved her, and it broke his heart that it didn’t work out. He sat back down into his seat slowly, his face sinking into a sadness from the reminiscing. He hugged himself and sighed, trying to keep himself comforted. Malhare took glee in that misery.

“Once I am able to use you to fulfill my plans, once everything is done, I promise you I will bring your family back together, “Malhare suddenly looked sympathetic, “Now listen, Jeremy… I know how it feels to have your family broken. How it feels to want them back and the pain that comes with it.” he thought for a moment, “If you do these things for me… if you let me use you, willingly, I will make you a promise.” He took Jeremys hand with one hand and raised the other, “No matter what, I will not hurt Gregory… and I will make sure your family gets back together, some way, somehow… But I need you to give me a yes and to stop fighting me. I need to be able to continue my experimentation.” he looked at Jeremy with a longing expression, hoping that got the man to listen.

Jeremy pulled his hand away and furrowed his brow. That was everything he ever wanted, everything he desired, but he knew he couldn’t do it. His heart tugged against itself, struggling between the options. He wanted so desperately to have the life he used to have, but he couldn’t willingly kill for it. But refusing the offer still left him as a pawn, but with none of the rewards. He would simply lose everything. He looked down at the table, his mind racing for a long time, pondering his choices. He finally came to a decision. 

“No… Your offer is tempting but I could never willingly sacrifice the lives of others for it. I could never truly be happy knowing the price for it.” He looked angry, staring up at Malhare, “I know I can’t fight you, you made that clear... But the only thing I can do is refuse to do your work willingly. I’m not taking your offer, Malhare.” he grabbed the ring back and slipped it back onto his finger, a solemn expression appearing on his face. He felt emptiness, the feeling of being defeated, “Just let me go back now… I don’t want to talk anymore.”

Malhare raised a brow, “You don’t understand this deal, do you? If you don’t take it, Gregory still remains a prime candidate in my experimentation. You will lose him and if you are found out your life will be over. You will lose everything.”

Jeremy shook his head, “No. I won’t. Even if the merge continues I will find a way to keep him safe. You won’t hurt him, Malhare. I made a promise that no matter what happens he will be kept safe, even if it kills me.” His eyes bore into the demon, his expression serious and full of anger. 

Malhare gave him a sour look and sat back in his seat, drumming his hand on the table, “Oh well… no one can say I never tried. Such a shame that you would turn down such a golden opportunity…” he looked back to Jeremy and gave him a soft yet vile smile, “Goodbye for now, Jeremy… I’ll see you sometime soon.” 

The room faded to black, much like the previous night's dreams. Jeremy expected to wake up soon after, but found himself still stuck in the pitch black darkness. His face quickly turned to worry and panic, as he still stood in the room, not knowing why he was still there, “Hello? Malhare? I want to go back now!” he cried out. But nothing happened. He was still stuck in the darkness, nothing and no one around him. Just the unnerving chill of the void and the echo of his voice to keep him company. He knew something was wrong, but he had no way of getting out. He was helpless and alone, a wave of dread washing over him. There was nothing he could do.


	10. A Silver Lining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanessa comes to Jeremy to let him know she's on his side now and ready to help. It looks like there may be a silver lining after all

Gregory sat curled up in his little trundle bed, happy dreams keeping a tiny smile on his face. Though the night before had scared him, especially with the way Jeremy was acting, he tried his best to put it from his mind and remember the promise he was made. He tried to think that his father was just being his weird self and making some odd joke he didn’t understand. His little mind could have never wrapped itself around the concept of what was truly going on. He just lived in ignorant bliss of it all, unaware everything was about to crumble around him. 

He was half asleep, just barely able to sense the things around him while he dozed. He went to pull Chips closer to him, loving the comforting feeling of his soft fur, but felt nothing in his arms. He was confused at first, but thought he must’ve dropped the stuffie off of his bed in his sleep. He leaned over the edge, rubbing his eyes in a tired stupor, but didn’t find the rabbit on the floor. His tiny face twisted in confusion, not knowing where the rabbit may be. He looked around, trying to find any sign of it, but it was gone. He had a hard time sleeping without Chips anymore, so he decided to go out and get his father to help him look for the rabbit.

He stepped out into the hall, about to turn to Jeremy’s room, when something caught his eye. He looked to the right end of the hall that led to the living room and saw Jeremy sitting on the couch. It was the middle of the night, and he never stayed up late like this. It wasn’t even as if the TV was on or he was doing something. He was just sitting there, still and quiet as a mouse.

Gregory drew closer to see the stuffed doll he loved so much in Jeremy’s hands. He was holding the rabbit gently, looking down at it fondly, as if it were some novelty he had never seen before. He gently stroked it’s face, feeling the soft fur beneath his fingers. Gregory would have already been weirded out by that alone, but Jeremy’s face unnerved him more. His father was not a person to hold back his emotion. One could always know exactly how he felt just looking at his face. But now, his expressions were stilted and minute. His eyes, usually kind and warm, now looked cruel and cold. It sent a shiver down Gregorys spine, and he knew something was wrong. This wasn’t his father. He tried to slink back into his bed, hoping he didn’t see him awake. He didn’t feel comfortable around him now, and certainly didn’t want to talk.

However, Malhare, now in control of Jeremy, did notice him, slowly turning his head towards the boy and giving him a tiny, curt smile. He walked over to the hall swiftly, his posture straight and his steps mechanical. He tried to give Chips back to Gregory, who curled away from him. His face was etched in nervous fear, something Malhare noticed immediately. He kneeled down and turned his head to the side, “Oh, no need to worry, Gregory… I just needed to see the toy for a moment. I’m sorry I scared you.” Gregorys face twisted into a more fearful look. The voice coming from his father was strange, and he had never heard it before. It was accented and posh now, neither of which described normal Jeremy. He didn’t like it at all. 

He quickly snatched the rabbit from his fathers hands and stepped backwards , holding the doll close for comfort. Malhare stared him down, his expression flat, “Now, Gregory, is that any way to act? No thank you? No talking?” 

Gregory stepped back towards his door, grabbing the handle with his shaking hand, “I’m sorry, daddy… Goodnight.” he quickly slammed the door behind him, scared that he would follow him in. He didn’t know why he was so scared, or why his father was acting like that, but he had a horrible feeling even still. He may have looked like his father, and sounded like him, but something wasn’t right. It was in his eyes, his tone, and the words he used. Gregory could just tell. 

He slipped back into bed and held Chips close, hiding under the covers. He was frozen still, listening for any little noise. He looked down at his little rabbit, his eyelids growing heavy from sleepiness, and whispered, “I think we’re in trouble, Chips…”

Outside in the hall, Malhare stood still, staring at Gregory’s door. He could tell Gregory was a smart and observant child, obviously picking up quickly that he was not Jeremy. He admired the cleverness and observance.

He looked down at the body in which he possessed and pondered for a moment. He was finally alone and had control of the body, leaving him with the perfect opportunity. But it wasn’t the right time, not yet. He still had some preparations to make, things he needed to find. He was always a patient man, however, so he knew to wait for his time to strike. He simply knew it was just a matter of time before things would go his way.

XX

Gregory woke up early in the morning, tangled up in his blankets. As he became more aware he could hear the sound of distant music and smell something in the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, lumbering to the source while he dragged Chips behind him. 

Jeremy was back to normal, having control over his body once more. He didn’t remember a single thing from the night before, and didn’t think much had even happened. During the incident he simply sat in that dark space, assuming he was just asleep the entire time and hadn’t woken up quite yet. He was in blissful ignorance, not knowing or understanding what had happened.

He was making breakfast at the stove, listening to some early 70’s rock on his phone, which sat propped against a jar on the counter. It was easily his favorite genre, and helped him destress. Lord knows he needed it right now. He was in his own little world, only to be drawn out by the soft pattering of footsteps walking in. The softness matched that of Malhare’s, which tensed him up. He turned slowly, bracing himself, only to feel relief at seeing Gregory. He gave him a big smile, “Hey kiddo! You gonna go get ready for school?” 

Gregory looked at him bleary eyed and made a whining noise. He was absolutely exhausted due to the incident, and had forgotten that he needed to go to school still. Jeremy raised a brow and motioned towards the hall with the spatula in his hand, “Go on. By the time you’re dressed I’ll have a plate out for you, okay?” 

Greg didn’t say another word, just turning back to his room and dragging himself to go get dressed. Jeremy could tell he was awfully upset, but still didn’t understand why. He began to worry, hoping that nothing was related to Malhare or anything supernatural. He let his mind race with horrible possibilities, and figured he would ask Greg to make sure. He needed to protect him from this demon.

After a few minutes Greg came back in the room with a decent outfit; a pale yellow hoodie with some video game characters on it and a plain pair of jeans. Jeremy was happy he at least picked an outfit that matched. He walked over to the table with two plates full of eggs and toast and motioned for Gregory to come sit down, “Come on, you need to eat before your bus gets here.” Gregory nodded and sat down quietly. That cemented the fact that something was wrong to Jeremy. Gregory was never this quiet, even when he was tired. Something was wrong.

“Gregory, did something happen?” he asked softly and cautiously. Gregory’s head shot up, his eyes wide. He looked nervous, looking down at his plate and pushing the food around with his fork, “You were acting really weird last night…” he mumbled.

Jeremy sighed, remembering the TV incident and Malhare appearing in the kitchen, “Oh, Greg, I’m so sorry about all of that. I-I don’t know how to explain all of that, but I promise you I’m okay now. I’m really sorry about the TV especially, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Gregory shoveled some egg into his mouth and shook his head, “No, after we went to sleep.” Jeremy looked at him, confused and nervous, “I woke up and Chips was gone, so I looked for you to help me find him… But when I looked, you had Chips and were on the couch.” he continued. Jeremy’s face paled, knowing he didn’t have any recollection of this. He knew it must have been Malhare and prayed that nothing bad happened, 

“You were being weird… I didn’t like it….” Gregory mumbled. He looked embarrassed and scared to say it, but Jeremy was happy he said something. He now knew the danger Greg was in, and was terrified of something happening again. Malhare was opportunistic by nature, and leaving someone he viewed as a target alone with him was a recipe for danger. He couldn’t live with himself if something happened. He promised himself that if anything happened again, no matter how small, with the creature he was sending Greg back to Lori’s, knowing he could easily fake illness to do so.

He looked at Gregory with a sympathetic look and spoke softly, “I’m so sorry about that, kiddo… I never want you to be scared or freaked out, especially by me. I won’t do anything like that again.” Greg looked to the side, still unnerved by everything, but believing Jeremy. Slowly, he smiled and looked back up at his father, “Ok… just don’t be weird like that again!” Jeremy smiled softly, “Of course, silly...” he tousled his hair, getting a little laugh out of the boy. 

Just as Gregory finished his last bite, the sound of a motor could be heard outside. Jeremy looked through the curtains to see a bright yellow bus parked just a few feet from the house. He got up and picked up Gregorys backpack, walking swiftly to the front door, “Come on, kiddo, you gotta go!” 

Greg scrambled to the door, snatching his backpack and slipping on his shoes. He ran out the door swiftly, turning back to wave to Jeremy, “Bye! I love you!” he yelled out. Jeremy watched as he made his way to the bus, making sure he was safe, and then slowly closed the door. His smile faded, his face returning to its solemn expression. It hurt to force himself to look happy, physically and mentally. He felt a sense of relief knowing Gregory was away for a bit, but still felt the dread of knowing Malhare was still ever present, waiting for his moment to strike. 

He stepped back into the middle of the room and spoke gruffly, “What the hell did you do last night?” 

Malhare phased into the room, a surprised expression on his face, “This is unlike you, Jeremy… Didn’t expect you to purposely summon me here..” he mused. Jeremy gritted his teeth and stared down the demon, “I just need to talk to you for a moment and then I want you gone.” he turned his body towards Malhare, every bit of him seething with contempt, “What did you do last night? Gregory woke up terrified and I know it has something to do with you.”

Malhare sighed wistfully and gave out a little laugh, “Nothing, my dear! The boy was safe and sound. It’s not the right time for me to fulfill my plan. As I’ve told you before,my preparation isn’t quite complete! I just… observed, last night.`` 

Jeremy clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, “Listen to me, the moment you pull shit like this again, Gregory is going back to Lorianne and I’ll make sure to deal with you!”

Malhare gave him a mocking expression, “Oh, are you sure you just don’t want to see her again?”

Jeremy lunged out at him, going to swing at the creature, “Shut the hell up!” right as he was about to hit his face, Malhare disappeared and Jeremy heard a noise at the door. He froze, hoping it wasn’t Gregory for some reason, or some nosy neighbor who was overhearing the fight. He wasn’t sure how to explain the situation, or excuse himself. He looked into the peephole on the door and saw a familiar face, “Nessa…” he whispered, his voice full of relief. 

Jeremy swung the door open fast, a surprised look on his face. Vanessa looked just as shocked seeing him like this. Jeremy looked nothing like himself anymore. His eyes were sunken in, dark bags hanging underneath of them. Jeremy was always chubby, but now he was very thin and gaunt. His shoulder length curls were knotted and horribly unkempt, and his goatee was quickly becoming a full beard. His clothes were crumpled as if he had worn them over multiple days, and his skin was pale and clammy. The most noticeable change was his face, however. The rosy pink cheeks dotted in freckles, the warm smile, and happy look in his eyes were all gone. He just looked weary and ill now. She was so glad she came over.

“Jeremy, are you doing okay?” she asked with concern in her voice, “I-I’m sorry for dropping in on you, but I know something is wrong and I needed to be here.” She looked up at him, a serious and determined look on her face. 

  
  


“Nessa! Aren’t you supposed to be in today? I don’t want you to get in trouble because you came here… I know Mikhail’s been up my ass over not showing up and I don’t want him to go after you.” He said with concern. Vanessa shook her head and stepped into the house, “Nope! Your health is more important than a video game or Mikhail. That can wait.” She set down her purse on an end table and looked at Jeremy, a serious and caring look on her face, “Do you want to talk about anything? Or what’s going on”

Jeremy folded his arms, looking to the ground with a bitter expression, “You don’t even believe any of this… How are you supposed to help me when you’re not even taking me seriously? Because you obviously don't, which is no help to me.” He looked up at her with a disappointed and bitter look. 

Vanessa was a bit shocked to hear him talk to her like that. Jeremy was always sweet and kind, and even when he was angry he didn’t act like this. She sighed and looked at him, determined, “ Jeremy, I decided to believe you. I know I haven’t been a great friend recently, and I blamed this all on something else, which was wrong. I should have believed you… I know you wouldn’t lie about anything like this.”

Jeremy looked shocked, his heart fluttering with an anxious excitement. She believed him? Truly, she did? He couldn’t have been more relieved now, “A-are you serious? You were so… dismissive of this before.” he lamented. He looked at her longingly, hoping she was serious.

Vanessa bit her lip, “I know, I know… It was just hard to believe. It’s so far out there that I never thought this could be real…” 

He sighed and closed his eyes, “I understand… I never really thought any of this could happen to me either. But anything is possible under this company, Nessa… I just want someone that will help me.” He held his head in his hand,”I don’t joke around like this and you know that. I would never make a joke of the things that happened in this town...” he looked down at the ground, his expression melancholy, “I just wanted you to be there for me…”

She sat down next to him on the couch, holding a decorative pillow in her lap. She gave him a sympathetic look, putting a hand on his shoulder, “I think I get it… And I just wanted to say that I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you, and that’s why I came.” she felt her heart tighten, a queasy feeling in her stomach, “But… Do you really think it’s Afton? It could be just some spirit messing with you, it happens a lot. Spirits will pretend to be the souls of those who have passed just to terrorize people.” she said, trying to make sense of it all. She wasn’t entirely convinced this was Afton. It could be, but the idea of something like this happening so close to her was astonishing and insane.But then she remembered all of the events from the past week; the screaming, the illness, Jeremy acting like another person. That had to be something like Afton, especially in the way he acted. She couldn’t explain it any other way yet.

Jeremy scoffed, “I’m sure it’s Afton. He knows things about the company, things about every horrible event that no one would know except for him and those who tried to cover it up. He told me all of it, and it’s just so horrible and disgusting...” his face paled, “And that got me in a lot of trouble too… Mikhail told me I had to talk to Mulligan and Ahuja and-”

“Those two called you in for a meeting?!” Vanessa asked, cutting him off. She looked frantic, “Jesus, Jeremy what did you do?”

Jeremy leaned back in his seat, looking at her intently, “Apparently they have cameras in my office that I didn’t see… they saw our conversations and everything that happened and wanted to know if it was for real.”

“And what happened?”

“Afton… he took over during the meeting and scared them. All I remember is feeling that happen then blacking out. Lottie helped me out and then I went to go get Gregory.” Jeremy explained.

Vanessa held up a finger, furrowing her brow, “So let me get this straight. Right after an incident where he took over your body, you then went to go pick up your son. While you are possessed by William Afton the CHILD MURDERER?!” she asked, a mix of judgement and fear in her voice, “Jeremy!”

“He doesn’t want to hurt him! Not now, at least…” he looked down, embarrassed as he realized what Vanessa was saying, “But if anything happens I can call Lori right away and get her to come get Greg. He’ll be safe.”

Vanessa gave him a serious expression, “Jeremy, I know you don’t want to think of anything ever happening to him, but what if there isn’t a chance to call Lori? By the time something happens it can already be too late.” she put her hand on his, trying to show she was understanding of the situation, “Until you get rid of Afton, it’s not safe for Gregory to be here… You know that, don’t you?”

Jeremy’s face was solemn, realizing she was right. Vanessa sighed, “Jeremy, listen, I know you want to show you’re a good dad that takes care of his son. Being there for him is great, but you need to think of this from a different angle. Keeping Greg here NOW puts him at danger. The best thing to do is give him to Lori until this is resolved.”

Jeremy nodded slowly, the realization of the situation’s gravity becoming all too real once again. Tears dripped down his blank face, falling onto the wooden floor below. Too many emotions flooded his senses. Vanessa enveloped him in a tight hug, putting her head in the crook of his neck. Jeremy felt completely overwhelmed, too many emotions fighting within him. The joy of having someone who wanted to help him was being killed by the dread of the danger still looming over him. Even if Vanessa believed him now, Malhare was still a threat. He didn’t know how to feel now. The only thing he knew for sure is what he wanted to do now.

He sunk into the embrace, needing the comfort, and whispered, “So how do we even get this resolved?” he asked, “You’re the paranormal expert.”

Vanessa pulled away, reaching for her purse. She dug through it to pull out a notepad and pencil, giving Jeremy a determined smile, “I think I have a few ideas.”

She flipped the page open and began to scribble down some ideas. Jeremy couldn’t read her handwriting very well, so he had no idea what was going on. He rubbed the tears from his eyes and furrowed his brow, “What are you writing?”

Vanessa put her pencil down, 3 bullet points put down on the page, “Well, in all my paranormal research, there are some really common ways to get rid of spirits.” she held up a finger, “Number one- a priest of some kind. We can get someone to do some holy rituals to get rid of this thing. Exorcism, holy water, or whatever else they do now. What do you think about that?”

Jeremy made a face, obviously uncomfortable with the idea. On top of not being religious he always felt uncomfortable in those scenarios. He never really liked the church setting growing up and if he had any other option, he would take that over this any day. He looked at Vanessa with unease, “Is there.. Any other option besides the church? I just don’t want to have to deal with that.” 

Vanessa scribbled out the first bullet point and muttered, “Okay… no church then.” she read the second point on the list and smiled, “Here! You can do your own cleanse!” she looked proud of herself for a moment, “Luckily, your girl here has everything you need! Incense, oils, candles, you name it. It’s been proven that you can cleanse your home and soul with the properties of them. If that’s the route you want to take, we can do it.”

Jeremy bit his lip and shrugged, “Not to be rude, Nessa, but are there any other options that are more… reasonable? I know this is... inherently a crazy and unrealistic situation, but I just want to know if anything else seems more… reasonable?” he hoped he didn’t sound like a total jackass, and he scanned her expression deeply to make sure she wasn’t upset. 

Vanessa nodded slowly, understanding his reasoning, “I get it… Luckily, I think there is something… do you still have that circuit board? Or access to the system?” 

Jeremy thought for a bit, just now realizing that he still had the board in his possession. He had planned on bringing it back, but things had gotten bad and it entirely slipped his mind, “I think so… It should still be in my work bag, wherever that is. And I have a processing system that works with these types of boards. Why do you ask?”

Vanessa smiled wide, finally realizing something could work, “If you have that, then we can do the last method!” she showed him the paper, “Look,we can get rid of it by sending it back to its source. If we can get that board booted up properly we can trap him back into the system and destroy it! Many spirits have to be cast out that way. Most are tied to their sources even after they leave them, so if we can get him to go back everything will be okay.” she gave him a genuine smile, seeing his face light up for the first time in days, “You’re going to be okay, Jeremy!”

Jeremy’s face shifted from processing, to realization, to hope. His pale, sickly face was filled with life again. The weight of all his burdens felt like they were falling from his shoulders, “You think it’ll work? You think we can do it?” 

Vanessa nodded happily, “Of course!” 

Jeremy felt his heart beat fast. This was the scariest point in his life and it was finally coming to an end. All of the pain, anger, and sorrow was quickly being dropped from his mind, replaced with overwhelming positive emotion he hadn’t felt in such a long time. Even the glimpses of happiness he had felt in the past few days had been drug down by the horrible, crushing reality of the Malhare situation. He had never felt a true feeling of relief in so long. But knowing now that this could be fixed so easily, finally having someone who believed him, it was just so much in one day. He was able to finally be at peace, something he cherished. And now knowing he was going to be okay, that Gregory would be okay, put his mind at ease for the first time in so long. He was upset that he didn’t think of this sooner, but now that he knew he could solve this problem once and for all, he was determined to do so immediately.

Vanessa was just happy to help him, to be there for her friend. If he was truly dealing with a possession case like this, she wanted to make sure he and Gregory were safe, and she took it very seriously. She had high hopes this would work, and she truly believed everything would be back to normal. She looked at Jeremy with a serious and determined expression, “Listen, let’s find this board, and we’ll get this done. We’re going to end this now, once and for all.” 

He nodded slowly, “Thank you, Nessa… I can’t tell you how happy this makes me…” he wiped tears from his eyes, looking at her with a loving expression.

She nudged his shoulder and laughed a bit, “Any time, man.”

The air about the room was much less tense than before. They were both relieved to have this bliss, finally being happy once again. Jeremy couldn’t remember the last time he had truly smiled without the feeling of dread behind it. Knowing that this was all over, that he was going to be okay just filled him with hope and happiness. He finally felt free.

The two stood from their seats, ready to get to work, “So, do you remember where the bag is?” Vanessa asked. She looked around for any sign of his work bag, not seeing it anywhere. Jeremy gave her a sheepish expression, “Honestly, with everything going on, I haven’t been keeping track of things…”He looked over to a coat stand near the door, “I usually keep it on that rack, but it’s been missing the past few days... We can try to look for it though. You remember what it looks like, right?”

Vanessa tsked, realizing this was going to make things much harder, “Yeah, I remember… hopefully it’s somewhere close by.” she shot him a confident smile, “Don’t worry! We’ll get it!” 

Jeremy smiled, happy with her confidence, “Alright, let’s do this!” 

The two began to paw through the room, looking in any place they could think of for this bag. Drawers, closets, under furniture, and anything they could think of. If they couldn’t find the board, everything would fall through and they would be back to step one. That was somewhere they didn’t want to be.

Jeremy pawed through the closet in the corner, looking through every little thing. He sighed as he saw random items Gregory had shoved in there. Toys, books, shoes, all things that didn’t belong in there. This was making it harder for sure, “So we haven’t really talked in the past few days… how’s it going with you?” he asked, trying ot start up a conversation.

Vanessa shrugged and smiled, “Compared to what’s going on with you, nothing interesting.... But I do have one last week with the company before I need to switch over. The Pizzaplex thing opens in less than a month so I have to go finish training soon.”

Jeremy gave her a small smile, “That’s great… but it sucks we won’t be coworkers anymore. I’m gonna miss that.”

Vanessa laughed a bit and closed the drawer she was looking in, “Hey, you could always quit and come work with me! We would be a hell of a night team!”

Jeremy chuckled, “Sorry, but hell no. I don’t think I could do it. I mean, you heard the stories of what happens in those places. I’m not dying for some overrated kids' casino.”

Vanessa smiled deviously, “Damn, you would be the one to die on the job. But hey, at least if you possess anything I could just come to work and see you. It would be cool to have a robot best friend.” she teased.

Jeremy raised an eyebrow, “So you would just leave me there? Wouldn’t even try to break me out? I thought we were friends!” he exclaimed playfully.

Vanessa shook her head and laughed. She made her way into the kitchen to see if the bag was there for some reason, “Now how would I make it out of there with a seven foot tall robot animal unchecked? I would just hope you would get used to the place.”

Jeremy scoffed lightheartedly and shook his head, “You’re an ass, Nessa.” he followed her out to the room and looked through the closet in there. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the satchel. He was beginning to get frustrated, “Though, maybe at some point I will want to move on… Something in entertainment or art, maybe. I love working as a game designer, honestly I do, but now that things might be getting better I’m thinking of expanding my horizons.” he lamented, “Want to work to my full potential, you know?”

Vanessa nodded, “And I understand if you don’t want to work in gaming after this. I would have never imagined this could happen, and I wouldn’t want to even look at a VR headset again if this were me…” she lamented. 

Jeremy felt his stomach twist as he thought about Malhare again. He had gotten so caught up thinking about getting rid of him that he had forgotten the creature was still there, watching and waiting. He felt unnerved seeing that he wasn’t around, being eerily silent as he talked to Vanessa. He hoped he wasn’t plotting something behind his back, waiting for any little moment to strike. It made him tense up a bit more.

Vanessa noticed the change in body language and spoke more softly, ,”Hey, why don’t we do something soon? You know, go and hang out or something. There’s a really great restaurant that opened up near the PIzzaplex. Oh! I can also get you some free stuff for there if you and Lori want to bring Greg.”

Jeremy sighed, “Honestly, I just want to be here. I haven’t felt up to going out lately… Even after we get this done I just want to be home for a while... “ he grimaced a bit, “And I want nothing to do with Fazbear’s after this either. The characters freak me out anyways…”

Vanessa nodded, “That’s fine. Maybe we could just have a day in, do something you like to make you happy.” Jeremy shrugged and gave her a tiny smile, “That actually sounds good… and thank you... for staying with me.”

Vanessa nudged him., “I’m your friend, I want to do stuff like this for you. And I know you would do the same for me.” she smiled and went back to work. There was a bit of silence before Jeremy thought of something to talk about, “Not to be a downer, but did you hear about that accident on 67? I heard it was really bad…”

Vanessa raised a brow, “That’s the one outside work isn’t it? With the giant sinkhole off the side of the road? When’s the city ever going to do something about it, this is the third time someone has gotten hurt this year.” 

Jeremy shook his head, “There’s something about Hurricane that draws in the ‘we don’t give a shit’ kind of people…” he grumbled, “Funny that something like that is outside Fazbear Ent. Kinda fits with their theme.” 

Vanessa shook her head and closed the drawer she was looking in. It was obvious he didn’t have this bag in the kitchen, and they were wasting precious time looking for it here. She walked through the hallway, seeing the office, Jeremy’s room, Greg’s room, and another alongside them. She turned around to see if he was close behind, not wanting to barge into something private by accident, “Do you think it could be anywhere in one of these, Jerr?” 

Jeremy walked up behind her and shrugged, “It would have to be.. They’re the only other rooms in the house… I’m thinking it’s probably in my room, to be honest.”

  
Vanessa nodded in understanding, making her way into his room. She could tell by the look of it that nothing was his own design. Jeremy was always quite plain in the way he dressed and decorated, the room was nothing of the sort. The bed was made with a beautiful white frame, elaborate engravings up and down the posts. The bedding was a soft green color, and they looked rather pricey, which was out of the ordinary for Jeremy. The art and photos on the wall were framed in beautiful hangers, and the wall sconces had adorable little shades on top of them. The other furniture in the room fit with that beautiful bed frame too, matching in detail and color. This was obviously all Lori’s doing. She always had an elaborate taste, and was known to decorate to the extreme. She guessed Jeremy didn’t want to change that, and she didn’t blame him. 

Jeremy was over at his bureau, going through his drawers quickly. He pushed aside the box in which he held his earrings, hoping maybe the bag would be behind there for some reason. Who knows, Malhare may have known about this idea and hid the bag from him. He wouldn’t put it past the creature.

Vanessa was looking under the bed, getting progressively more and more frustrated. She didn’t understand why they couldn’t find it, and she knew this was the only way Jeremy would be able to rid himself from the demon. She was getting more and more worried for him by the moment.

Jeremy tried to push the thoughts of something going wrong from his mind. He needed to think more positively to keep his head clear. He looked over to Vanessa, trying to start up a conversation again, “So what else has been going on recently? Any news?”

Vanessa sighed and bit her lip, “Compared to you, nothing really interesting has happened… but, Ezra and I broke up, which sucks.” she sounded bitter, obviously upset.

Jeremy felt guilty for asking and looked upset, “Aww, geez, Nessa I’m so sorry… What happened? I thought you said she was looking to take things further…”

Vanessa shrugged and sighed, “According to her, she’s ‘looking for adventure.’... she just thought I’m boring and decided she was done with me…” she looked down, a solemn look on her face, “Y’know, she might be right. I’m going to be working a boring night job, I just get involved with paranormal forums for fun, and I like sewing. Those aren’t excitable or adventurous… Sometimes I wish I could be really into the stuff she is.”

Jeremy gave her a soft and sympathetic look, taking a break from searching, “Nessa, you’re the most kind and exciting person to be around. If Ezra can’t see that and made that decision, she’s the one losing out here.” he thought for a moment, trying to find a way to make her happier, “You’re going to be working for one of the most insane places in this town, getting involved with the paranormal is badass, and sewing is a great hobby! If she wanted you to change or looked down on that, she’s the one in the wrong,” he smiled softly, “You’re a good person, Nessa… Don’t let her make you feel any different.” 

Vanessa felt a small smile creep up on her face, and felt more confident with his words. She did put a lot of thought and attention into Ezra’s likes and needs, but she recognized that she needed a person who respected her too. She was glad Jeremy understood that. She kneeled at the side of the bed, putting her elbows up on it to prop herself up, “Speaking of relationships, how are you doing right now?” she asked cautiously, “I know it’s only been a few months, but have you been getting out there?” 

Jeremy looked down at the ring on his finger, a clear reminder of the past and what he missed. He sat on the bed gently, the boxspring quietly creaking, looking over at her with a solemn look, “Honestly, I don’t think I’m over her yet… I don’t know if I ever will be… I know she hasn’t really come to terms with this yet either” he muttered. Vanessa raised a brow, “Not to be rude, but if neither of you are over each other, why did you do this? You obviously still love her.”

Jeremy fiddled with the wedding band, “It’s complicated… we just figured we were better off as friends. We had disagreements we couldn’t seem to come to an understanding on, none that ruined how much we cared for each other, but we both knew it was straining a romantic relationship… Just had to make the decision to keep it like it is now..”

Vanessa looked shocked, “You two of all people fought about stuff that serious? I mean, I know couples fight sometimes, but you two were perfect for each other… I couldn’t imagine what it was.”   
  


Jeremy looked off, staring at a photo of him and Lori on the dresser, one he refused to take down, “Honestly, it was because I still stayed with the company after Mikhail got us signed on the Fazbear Ent. She wanted me to request leave and go get another job while the rest of you worked on it. I told her I didn’t like the company, but it was good money and I couldn’t turn it down.” he furrowed his brow, “But she was so adamant on me not working for them, and she wouldn’t tell me why for a while. Whenever I asked, she got really quiet and upset... When she finally explained it to me, it was too late and we were already working on the project.”

Vanessa looked at him with a bit of nervousness, “You mind me asking what it was?” she asked sheepishly, “If it’s too personal, it’s fine!” Jeremy looked at her with a serious expression, “If I tell you, this can’t get out anywhere- online or in person.” Vanessa nodded in understanding.

Jeremy reminisced on that night Lori told him, “Her dad’s side of the family was really hurt by the company. Her uncle, when he was a kid, went missing at one of those locations in 85 and no one ever saw him again. The company covered it up and pretended like nothing happened.” he took a pause, “Her family was happy when those indie games came out because they thought it might start the conversation again and get more investigations rolling…. So when she found out I was working on Help Wanted, which was covering it all up, she got upset…” he sighed regretfully, “I just wish she told me all of this before we started working on the game… That whole thing was the straw that broke the camel's back, to be honest. It was the last major thing that helped us make the decision. The fights we had over it got nasty...”

Vanessa looked deeply upset, putting a hand on Jeremy’s to try and help console him, “Damn… I’m sorry Jerr…”

He shook his head, “It’s fine… Even besides that, I wish I hadn’t helped with this job. I wouldn’t be in the mess I’m in right now if I hadn’t… Things would be normal and the whole Malhare incident wouldn’t have happened.”

Vanessa thought for a moment, “I mean, it probably would have happened, just not to you. One of us would have been affected…” she thought for a moment, “That’s scary to think about….” she lamented.

Jeremy nodded. If there were any upside to this situation, it was that he was at least in control of it. If it weren’t him, Malhare would just be running around in someone else’s body and he wouldn’t know. He and thousands of others would be in danger of the demon and there would be nothing he could do about it. That was the only thing he was grateful for now.

Vanessa looked sheepish, “Honestly, this is making me feel bad for taking the job.. All those stories, everything that happened, it’s just so close to home now. I’m so sorry that happened to-” she paused, stopping right in her tracks. Something was wrong, and she could see it in his expression.

Jeremy’s face was blank and cold. He looked angry and bitter, as if it wasn’t him in there. He was sitting up straight, poised and postured and simply stared her down in contempt. Vanessa shrunk back, looking unnerved and uneasy. She knew what was happening, and she was scared, “You’re not Jeremy, are you?” she whispered.

“No, I’m not… You’re a clever girl, Vanessa.” Malhare hissed, “Too clever for your own good.” he paused and scowled, “You know, I can hear the conversations you two have. I know about your plans to get rid of me. And trust me, I do not like it… not a bit.” he stood up from his seat, drawing closer to her, “I can promise you, I will not leave easily. You can’t get rid of genius like me.” 

Vanessa quickly jumped from her spot, walking towards the door to avoid Malhare. As long as she wasn’t within arms reach of him, she would be okay. She walked out of the room, watching him follow her slowly down the hall. She grabbed her purse and backed up towards the front door. Malhare furrowed his brow, “You know, Vanessa, I wish it had been you I found...” her eyes widened, in shock and fear, “What..?” she whispered. What did he want with her? Why was he saying this?

Malhare smiled softly, “Ah, but there’s no time to think about my regrets now. Just go on home… it’ll all be okay soon… Goodbye, Vanessa.” 

Vanessa quickly walked out of the door, too scared to even say another word to the creature. On one hand, she was scared to leave Jeremy alone like this. But on the other hand, she didn’t want to be around Malhare. Who knows what he would try to do. He was a vile murderer, and she didn’t want to put herself in harm's way. He was sure to attack now that she knew everything about him. She ran out to her car and started it quickly, her hand shaking from the leftover feeling of adrenaline. Just being in the presence of such an infamous person was enough to set her off. She hoped his influence would fade soon, and that Jeremy would be able to find the board without her help. He needed to.


	11. I'm Sorry... and I Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy's silver lining breaks away from him, the dread and despair of it all crashing back down over him. He now is left with a choice to make, a hard one that leaves him struggling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw for gore mention, suicide attempt, blood, injury, major character death, mild emetophobia, the guiilotine paper cutter scene, mentions of the springlock incident
> 
> if you are not okay with reading this chapter due to the TW's but are still interested in the story, I am free to send you a message summarizing the events of the chapter. Please let me know and do what makes you comfortable. I did put the proper tw's in the tags early on, but this specific chapter has a lot going on and I understand that it can be intense. your safety and comfort with the content you read is important to me.

“Nessa? Where are you?’

Jeremy called out into the empty house, Vanessa no longer in sight. He felt as if he had just blinked, only to find himself by the door and his friend being gone. He panicked, knowing something was amiss, “What did you do?”

Malhare appeared on cue, smiling ugly, “Oh just gave her a little scare is all! It was quite funny! You should have seen the look on her face, dear!” Jeremy looked angry, “What is wrong with you? Why would you do that, I finally had someone helping me and you just ruined it!” 

Malhare’s face lowered to a scowl, “Speaking of which…. I do not appreciate what you two are trying to accomplish. I know you’re trying to get rid of me, and I want you to know whatever you have planned isn’t going to work.”   
  


Jeremy stood his ground, giving him a determined look, “I know you’re just saying that to get me to stop. And trust me, that’s not going to work. Once I get that computer booted up I’m getting you back in that circuit board and I’ll break you!” he threatened. Malhare gave him a malicious grin, “If you’re oh so sure of that, why don’t we go ahead and get that done now? Come on, I’ll even show you where I hid that filthy bag of yours!”

Jeremy felt a twinge of worry in his heart. Malhare was mocking him, and he was so sure of himself. It made him worried that the creature wasn’t reacting so negatively to all of this. He was oddly giddy. His face was twisted in a nervous expression as Malhare passed him, motioning for Jeremy to follow. He brought him to the bedroom and pointed to an old chest near the corner, “Behind it… The first time I took over I made sure to hide it from you in case you got this idea. But go on now, get it.” he demanded.

Jeremy furrowed his brow, “But… if you were hiding it from me, why are you trying to show it to me now?” he asked quizzically. His heart dropped as he saw an ugly smile creep up on Malhare’s face. He had done something horrible, he just knew it. He yanked the chest out, seeing the bag crumpled behind it. He quickly emptied it out onto the bed, his hands shaking with anxious tremors. Papers covered in colorful drawings of the Fazbear Ent. characters flew from it, scattering all over onto the bed and floor. He didn’t see any sign of the board yet, and was beginning to worry.

Then, he heard a little clinking noise as it fell onto the bed, or what was left of it rather. He froze, his body going cold as he looked upon it. Upon the bed lay the board, smashed into itty bitty pieces. The components were destroyed and crushed into splintering bits. It was completely unrecognizable now, unable to be fixed. He picked them up gingerly, tears blurring his eyes, “What did you do…?” he asked, sobs wracking his voice.

Malhare cackled wildly, throwing his head back, “Oh, my dear, your tears are hilarious! You were so close yet so far!” he leaned in close, “I always think one step ahead of you, and I always win… and oh, how I LOVE winning! You can’t get rid of me now, Jeremy. It’s over.” he giggled in perverse glee, his joy heightening with Jeremy’s despair.

Jeremy became desperate, feeling his chest tighten and his eyes well with tears, “Then what about the exorcism option? I-I could do that!” 

Malhare chuckled, “An exorcism is for demons, my boy… While I may be what you call evil, I am by no means a demon. That simply wouldn’t work!” Jeremy opened his mouth again, only to get a finger pressed against his lips, “Shhh.” Malhare hushed, “I know what you’re going to ask. The other option dear Vanessa presented is laughable at best. What, did you think some scented smoke and good thoughts were going to get rid of me?” he mocked, “Oh, you’re so funny, Jeremy!” 

His eyes glowed a vibrant purple, the room darkening around them and a high pitched whine playing out. Jeremy sat in fear as the only thing around him now was Malhare, staring down at him with a perverse glee. 

“You are mine, and you will not get rid of me. There is nothing you can do, and it’s about time you accepted that.” 

“I can figure out how to get rid of you another way… I’ll figure it out.” Jeremy stated bitterly.

Malhare chuckled grimly, “The only way you can get rid of me now is through death… And I know you don’t want that…”

Jeremy’s face shifted to harrowing despair. This was his only hope to get rid of Malhare, and now it was over. The board wasn’t salvageable, and that meant his only chance was gone. He would be left to face the merge alone, unable to fight it any longer or prevent it from happening. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was beginning to feel the power over his body slip away, the reigns being given to this demonic presence.

Malhare cupped Jeremy’s face gingerly, “There is only one more thing to do now… and I’ll need the help of your little friend for it.” He paused and chuckled, “Oh, but don’t worry your little head over that. I’ll take it from here love…” He disappeared into a cloud of pixels, leaving Jeremy alone to process this. 

Jeremy stood up slowly, looking at the crumbled board in his shaking hands. He closed his eyes and sighed, his voice warbling. He felt like an absolute failure, as a person and a father. He thought about Gregory again, and tried to think of any way he could keep him safe. But everything he thought of, he knew Malhare would find a way around. He was too smart to get foiled by Jeremy. As he said, he was always a step ahead. Malhare was a conniving bastard, and Jeremy felt his hatred and bitterness grow every moment he thought of him. He gripped his fist until his knuckles turned white and the board shards pierced his hands. He didn’t even notice the blood beginning to pool in his palms. He wouldn’t have cared at this point either.

His thoughts were broken as a slamming noise came from the front of the house. He looked up, his eyes wide as he realized what time it was. Gregory was home now, blissfully unaware at anything going on. Jeremy wiped his sleeve across his eyes, knowing he needed to put a brave face on for him, making sure he felt safe and sound. It was the best he could do now, and he sure as hell wanted to do his best.

Gregory burst into the bedroom, flopping on Jeremy’s bed, “Hi daddy!” he called out, giggling as he laid back on the covers. He looked at the papers next to him and picked them up, smiling, “Are there your pictures? They’re pretty!” He studied the artwork, enthralled by the pictures of all the classic robots. He especially was fixated on the drawings of Freddy, finding the big brown bear to look like a good friend. He rambled on for a moment, completely lost in his own little world as he studied the character sheets. He was completely enthralled by them, and hardly even noticed what was going on. 

He then looked up, concerned seeing Jeremy’s face. He wasn’t crying anymore, but his cheeks were glossy and his eyes were red. He looked weary as well, “Are you okay?” he asked cautiously. Jeremy sighed and threw the broken board to the side, the shards of metal clinking on the wooden boards. He scooped up Gregory and held him close, “I’ll be okay, kiddo, you don’t need to worry. I’m just feeling tired, that’s all.”

Gregory nodded in understanding, “Ooh okay…” he looked nervous, trying to think of something to say, “Umm… can you help me with homework?” he asked softly. Jeremy nodded and walked with him to the kitchen, “Of course. What do you have today?”

Gregory sat down at the table, pulling out his little folder of work, “Some more math… I just want you to check it when I’m done.” Jeremy nodded in understanding, watching Gregory figure out the questions. They were all simple of course, equations he could easily solve in a quick second. Being a programmer meant he needed the mind for math, and he was glad to see that Gregory was doing well in the subject. He thought Gregory might take after him in his aspect, and felt a little happier thinking about him succeeding in that field. 

His heart dropped just moments after, as the wave of dread washed over his shoulders once more. He thought about what Malhare had planned and felt sick to his stomach. There would be no future with Gregory succeeding if he didn’t do something about this demon. He needed to stop this some way, somehow. He looked over to the kitchen doorway, seeing the creature standing there, mocking him just in his presence. He took a deep breath, composing himself and reminding himself that he needed to stay calm. He refused to have a repeat of the other night. He tried his best to ignore the creature, focusing on Gregory and what he needed. 

The little boy finished the worksheet and handed it to Jeremy with a big smile on his face, “Done!” Jeremy took it and scanned the sheet over, finding the scrawly handwriting to be cute. Gregory was truly his fathers son though, not missing a single question. He forced a soft smile onto his face and handed it back, “You did a great job, kiddo.” Gregory beamed at the compliment, gripping his paper tightly. Jeremy continued, “Now, if there’s nothing left to do, why don’t we try to do something fun?”

Gregory got excited, slapping the paper straight back into the folder and jumping from the chair, “Yeah! Come on, come on!” He ran to the living room, expecting Jeremy to follow close behind. Jeremy felt his heart jump as he brushed past Malhare, unable to see or feel him. Jeremy walked cautiously over to the doorway, stopping at Malhare’s side. The rabbit turned to him and whispered, “Just a matter of time now…” 

Jeremy grimaced, “I don’t like what you’re implying…”

Malhare grinned wildly, “Trust me, you’ll loathe it.”

XX

It was late now, the sky pitch black and the world around Jeremy put to rest. He trudged through the night to keep Gregory happy; playing games, listening to his stories, and reading him a book to help him fall asleep. For all he knew, this would be the last chance to do so before the merge completed… The last time he would see Gregory, even. He hated the thought of it, but began to accept it as a possibility. If that was to be his reality, he wanted his last night to be memorable and sweet.

Gregory was fast asleep now, allowing Jeremy to be alone with his thoughts and process the day. He wasn’t taking it well by any means. He sat on the couch, head in his hands. His body shook, quiet sobs wracking his body. Everything was over now. He felt so horribly ill thinking about what Malhare would do once this merge completed, and he feared for the lives of those around him. He felt his consciousness slip in and out, struggling for power over the demon. It was a tough struggle before, but a near impossible battle by now. The merge was about to be completed, and he would simply have to watch the carnage unfold from here, helpless.

“Now, now… You knew this was going to happen, my dear. Have you not prepared yourself?” Malhare asked. He put a finger against Jeremy’s cheek, wiping his tears away,, “There’s no use in tears now. Just give yourself up and know you fought hard. At least be proud of that.” 

Jeremy felt unease from how comforting Malhare was acting. He gave him a genuine compliment for once, nothing backhanded or doubling as a boast for his own ego. He raised his head and looked at the demon next to him, his expression blank and unmoving. His eyes were dull and emotionless, as if his soul was no longer in his body, “If you’re really proud of my stubbornness, let me make you even prouder.” 

Malhare gave him a quizzical expression, “Oh? And how would we be achieving that?” Jeremy didn’t respond, simply picking up his phone with a shaky hand and looking for Lori’s number. He swiped away multiple messages from Vanessa, all of them showing increasing concern for him and Gregory. He felt a bit of guilt in doing so, but he needed to get to Lori first. Malhare’s face fell, a more serious expression filling it, “What are you doing, Jeremy?”

“What I have to…” he whispered. The repetitive dial tone played out, Jeremy feeling more and more choked up everytime he heard it. He closed his eyes tightly, tiny tears dribbling from them as he took a deep breath. He hoped Lori would answer, though he knew she was asleep. She was always in bed early and had always been a heavy sleeper. His heart broke just thinking about her. Oh, how he wished the past few months had all been a dream; that he would wake up next to her, seeing her beautiful black curls splayed across their pillow, holding the others hand as they looked into each other's eyes, looking to the future with hope. But it was all gone, and he would never get it back. Nothing would ever be the same.

Lori surprisingly picked up, sounding exhausted on the other end, but still concerned, “Jeremy? Is everything okay?” she asked in worry. She sat up in bed, her back straightened and her legs hanging over the side. She was prepared to get up and run out at any moment. She knew this was important, especially since the call was so late at night. There was a small pause of silence before Jeremy responded, “Lori… I- I need you to come now.” his throat closed up, a choking feeling rising. He tried not to let her know he was crying, “Please…” he whispered. He held a hand to his head, tugging on his hair as he felt himself losing control yet again.

Lori could hear his tone of voice and knew it was bad. She had no idea the depth of it however, thinking only that he was unwell. She nodded and spoke softly, “Okay… Listen cari ño , it’s gonna be okay, I promise. I know things have been bad but I want to help. I’ll come get Gregory and we can talk in the morning, okay?”

Jeremy felt his heart flutter hearing the old term of endearment she always used for him. It reminded him of a better time. Still, he was quiet, knowing what was to come. He tried not to let her worry, “Thank you so much, Lori… I’ll get him ready and I’ll see you soon.” 

Lori tried to get herself ready as quickly as possible, feeling the situation was now worse than she thought, “Okay I’ll see you soon… Please take care of yourself, Jeremy.” she begged, just before hanging up. 

Jeremy was once again left in silence, the only presence in the room being Malhare, “You know, I can just go get him back once the merge is complete. You’ve achieved nothing, Jeremy. You’ve only delayed the inevitable.”

Jeremy remained quiet, ignoring the creature as he made his way to Gregory’s room. The little boy was still asleep peacefully, holding his favorite toy to his cheek as he smiled. Jeremy kneeled next to him and gently shook him awake, “Hey, little man it’s time to wake up…” he whispered gently. Gregory sat up bleary eyed and looked around, “Why..? It’s still night time.” he yawned. Jeremy sighed, looking down towards the ground, “I know… I know… Listen, mama’s gonna be here soon. You’re going back with her for a bit.”

Gregory’s face fell, “Do I need to go? How long?” he sounded ready to cry. The mix of tiredness and the disappointment was getting to him. Jeremy ruffled his hair, “I don’t know, Greg… But-” he had to stop himself, thinking about the situation, “-everything will be okay. You will be okay, and I promise that. Nothing bad will ever happen to you again.” he said with finality. Gregory looked confused, “I don’t get it…”

“You might not get it for a while… and that’s okay, Greg. But all you need to know is I’m doing this because I love you and I want you to be safe.” his voice began to crack near the end, his eyes welling with tears.

Gregory felt his heart jump seeing his father cry. Jeremy never cried, especially not in front of him. He knew now something was horribly, horribly wrong. He scooted forward to the side of his bed, hugging Jeremy tight. His father was always there for him when he was sad and scared, so he wanted to be there for him now. He knew there wasn’t much he could do to help; he was a child and had no idea what was even happening. But what he did know was that he could just hold on tight, show him that he was there.

They sat in silence for a long while, holding onto each other while tears fell down their faces. Jeremy never wanted to let go, knowing that once he did, he wouldn’t get this back. No matter what happened, Malhare was going to lead him to ruin, take him from his family and destroy it. He was beginning to wish he had taken that deal Malhare made now, knowing that if he did things would be better, at least slightly. Now the people he loved most were left in danger, and he was beginning to believe it was his own fault. That, he couldn’t forgive himself for. 

He thought about what Malhare had said earlier about this plan. He knew Malhare could just go back and get Gregory once the merge was complete, and he wouldn’t have any ability to fight that. He needed to think of a way that Malhare could never see Gregory again, a way that would prevent him from ever hurting him or any other child in this town ever. His mind raced, going through all the ideas that had failed before and the ones that were certain to fall through. He wracked his brain for any little idea, until one finally came to him. It was an awful plan, one that he knew would work, but would have dire consequences. He tried to think of any other plan, desperate for there to be any other way, trying to shove it from his mind, but it just kept returning, calling out to him and begging him to use it. He slowly began to come to terms that it was the only way, the only thing he could do to get rid of Malhare and keep Gregory safe.

But if he did this, he would never see Gregory again, that was certain. He would have to accept that Gregory would be without him after this, and that he would lose his father. But the only other option was letting Malhare use his body to take away Gregory’s life. He couldn’t allow that to happen, he wouldn’t accept that as an option. He needed to do this, no matter how much it would hurt to do so.

He held onto his son a little tighter, tears flowing harder as he accepted that he would need to follow through with this. He savored the last moments he would have with Gregory, making sure to let him know he was loved and taken care of. He looked down at the boy with a solemn look, “Gregory I need to tell you something… are you listening?”

Gregory looked up with a worried expression, “What’s wrong?”

Jeremy took a deep breath, “Gregory, just know that whatever happens, whatever I do, I’m doing it to protect you. I love and care about you and I want to make sure you grow up to be as happy as ever. So even if that means a bad thing will happen, it’ll all be for the better in the end. Understand that, okay?” he sounded frantic and pained just saying it. Gregory was even more scared, “What’s going on? Are you okay?” he asked in a soft voice, “I don’t understand…” he was about to cry.

Jeremy tried to think of a way this would be better to explain to him, a way Gregory would understand, finally remembering something, “Greg do you remember the movie we watched after I picked you up?” Gregory nodded, looking confused, “The one with the girl who became a fighter and fought bad guys so her family was okay?”

Jeremy nodded, “Exactly… Remember how I promised I would do that? That if there were any bad guys ever I would keep you safe no matter what?” 

Gregory looked unnerved, but still nodded in understanding. Jeremy continued, “I’m doing what she did… I’m going to do something that may be scary and hard to understand, but I’m trying to keep you and mama safe from a bad guy. I’m keeping my promise to you.” he held out his pinkie, reminding him of the promise they made. Gregory didn’t quite understand what he meant, but nodded, a determined look coming across his face, “Okay… just… get the bad guy!” 

Jeremy forced a weak smile, “Of course, Gregory…”

A knocking sound could be heard at the door, letting Jeremy know Lori was there. His heart sunk a little, knowing this would be goodbye. The pair looked at each other, a solemn look in their eyes. Jeremy lifted Gregory up, making sure he had Chips and his school bag with him, and made his way towards the door. 

Lori stood on the other side of the door, looking disheveled and weary. She was exhausted beyond belief, but horribly worried for Jeremy. When he opened it up to see her, she took Gregory into her arms, looking up at her friend with worry, “Jeremy, is everything okay?” she asked yet again.

Jeremy shrugged, wiping his puffy eyes on his sleeve, “Just haven’t been feeling well, Lori.”

Lorianne gave him a doubtful look, “You were crying, Jeremy... You never cry when you’re sick and I know that. We’ve known each other for 13 years now and not once have you done that.” she sounded genuinely concerned for him. She lowered her voice, as to not worry Gregory, “Something is wrong and I wish you would just tell me… you can trust me with anything and you know that.”

Jeremy stood silent for a moment, ‘You wouldn’t believe me if I said I was possessed by the old serial killer that terrorized this town.’ he thought to himself. He shook his head and forced himself to smile, “Lori, I’ll be fine. I just need to rest up and sleep for a while… I appreciate what you’re doing, I truly do… but I’m fine.”

Lori still looked doubtful, not fully buying his words. But if he was this insistent, she knew she just needed to leave it be. She nodded slowly and gave him a caring look, “Alright then… I’ll see you soon, okay?” Jeremy nodded in reply. Lori looked down to Gregory and smiled, “Let’s go, mijo…” she turned to go towards her car, watching the little boy fall asleep in her arms.

  
  


Jeremy watched them get further and further away, his chest tightening with each step, “Lori!” he called out quickly. She turned to face him, a look of shock on her face. Jeremy gave her an earnest look, “I love you… okay?” 

Lori looked a bit shocked, turning pink in her cheeks. She gave him a kind look, her eyes crinkling as the smile grew, and nodded, turning back towards the car and walking off. Jeremy waited until their car was out of sight until he closed the door. He needed to make sure he could see them every second he could.

Malhare appeared behind him, a mocking and condescending smile on his face, "Now what might your plan be now, dear Jeremy? The clock is ticking, and the merge will complete soon. So tell me, what is it you have up your sleeve now?" He sounded giddy with perverse glee, happy to see Jeremy utterly defeated. It meant he was close to winning, and oh how he wanted to win. 

Jeremy’s face was blank and unmoving. His body felt disconnected from him, his anxiety and fear making him feel numb. He ignored the creature, walking over to the table by his door and pulling out two sheets of paper. He quickly scribbled out two letters, trying his best to hide the contents from Malhare who stood directly behind him. He labelled them with Vanessa and Lori’s names, shoving them in his pocket and taking a deep sigh.

Malhare looked rather impatient, “Care to tell me what you’re planning, now?” he asked.

Jeremy took a deep breath and closed his eyes, composing himself. He spoke slowly and softly, “You said it yourself… The only way I can defeat you now is through death.” he grabbed his car keys, aggressively shoving them into his pocket and storming out the door. He didn’t even bother to check if it was closed all the way. It wouldn’t matter anymore anyways. 

Malhare became concerned immediately following behind Jeremy to the car, “Have you lost your mind?! What are you doing?!” he cried out. For the first time, he felt scared that his plan was going to fall through. He could tell that Jeremy was serious, and he wasn’t going to back down. He tried to take over, tried to force Jeremy’s soul into the backseat to prevent whatever he was going to do. But the sheer determination of Jeremy’s soul created a sort of shield, preventing him from taking control. He just had to watch in abject horror as Jeremy carried out this plan.

As the car started, Jeremy began to speed down the road, taking the route he normally did to go to work. As he rushed, going dozens of miles over the speed limit, Malhare pleaded with him, “Now, my boy, let’s not get too hasty! I’ll give you whatever you want! Free of charge, no deals or anything! Come on, please, just don’t do this!” he pleaded, his voice desperate and shaking. He knew if Jeremy were to die, he would be erased along with him. All of this would be for nothing, and he wasn’t a man to take failure lightly. 

His pleas fell on deaf ears, as Jeremy ignored him the entire way. He was disconnected from the world, only focusing on this one task and his love for those he was protecting. He hoped Vanessa would be able to move forward and find peace after this, that she would get everything she ever wanted in life. He knew he wouldn’t be there to see her achievements, something he wished he could be there for, but that would just be something he would have to miss. He thought about Lori, praying that she would find someone to love and cherish her, and help her take care of their son. His greatest wish was that she wouldn’t be left alone in all of this. And then he thought of Gregory. His heart broke, tears finally freeing themselves from his eyes. He hoped that Gregory would grow up happy and strong, able to succeed and thrive even after he was gone. 

He knew he had to do this, and it broke his heart to know that to save them, he had to hurt them this way. He looked up at that little photo hanging on the mirror, his heart softening at seeing his little face one last time, “This is for you…. I’m sorry… and I love you….” he whispered. 

He ignored further pleas from Malhare, promises of fortune, love, and prosperity that he spat out in a last ditch attempt to save his plan. He turned the car right, feeling it jerk tightly with the speed he was going at. He was approaching the Fazbear Ent. building, where he wanted to be. He looked to the left, seeing the deep sinkhole that had caused the accident just days ago. The guard railing was smashed through from the last car, an unfortunately perfect opening made for him. He looked at Malhare, an angry passion in his eyes, “This is the end… for both of us…”

That line brought Malhare back, reminding him of someone he held dear to him… Someone he had hurt many years ago. His eyes widened as Jeremy jerked his car towards the gap in the guard rail, barreling down into the ditch.

Jeremy closed his eyes and let go of the wheel, feeling a sort of peace as he free fell down. Time seemed to slow down, and sound escaped his ears. Everything became numb and silent all at once. He could only describe it as that bliss people talk about in death. He had no more tears left to cry now. He was at peace, and he accepted his fate now. His only regret now was placing that VR headset on in the first place, the thing that started this whole disaster. But now with this act of selflessness, he would destroy what remained of William Afton and his legacy, preventing anyone from getting hurt again by him. He could die in peace knowing that.

The car smashed onto its side, tumbling as it hit the ground. He felt his body jerk around, his head slamming onto the windshield and smashing it. He blacked out from the pain, losing control over his body after such a hard fight. Malhare took that opportunity to take control, knowing that at this point he still had a slim chance of saving his plan, a chance he desperately wanted to take. As the car came to a stop, Malhare howled, feeling the excruciating pain of Jeremy’s body. He never expected him to do such a reckless thing to try and stop him, but the man surprised him. 

For as clever as Jeremy was, he was not successful. The way he had fallen was just enough to hurt him horribly, but in no way was enough to kill him. Malhare was relieved with that fact. He dragged himself from the car, standing shakily as the body ached and hurt horribly. He whimpered in pain with each step, clawing his way up the side of the ditch. He knew Fazbear Ent. was right there, and if he could get there in time before this body failed, he could re-enter the system, laying in wait for a new and better host.

But, oh, the pain that wracked this body. It gave him memories of a past life, his life as William. Even though this version of himself had been made earlier in life, the code and the soul were interconnected, allowing him to have the memories of his true self. He remembered the horrible pain the real him felt during the springlock incident. The pain of his body being crushed and pulverized underneath the wires and animatronic parts. This pain now was reminiscent of the event, blood streaming down his limbs and this body’s bones obviously being broken. Every movement he made shifted them, causing pain to shoot through him. But his desperation was far too much to make him stop. He was so close to the top, so close to saving his plan, that he couldn’t stop now. 

He flopped onto the concrete at the top of the ditch, letting out a guttural howl and doubling over. He rested for just a moment, breathing heavily as he composed himself. He felt Jeremy’s soul fight back against him, trying to regain control over his own body. Malhare knew Jeremy wanted to die at this point, and that he knew what Malhare was trying to achieve now. He needed to stop him from making it inside that building. Normally, Malhare would be able to suppress him, but the man had gained awesome strength in an attempt to take control back, a strength that rivaled his own. He knew he couldn’t suppress him for long, and decided it was time to continue on before he lost control.

The parking lot of the building felt like it lasted forever, constantly extending with each step he took, though he could blame that mostly on the pain he was feeling. He was practically dragging himself across the pavement, whatever energy he had left over getting sapped by Jeremy fighting him. He finally made it to the door, slamming the body into the glass until it shattered and allowed him to stumble in. He tried to remember his way to the room where this all began, stumbling through the lobby as he tried to find his way. 

But then he saw it. Malhare stopped as he came across the portrait in the lobby, the portrait of the man he was so close to in a past life. Henry Emily’s photo sat in a ginormous gilded frame at the back wall of the lobby just behind the front desk. It was always decorated in flowers, most of them from his surviving family, what little of it there was anyways. The photo was from a better time, a happier time. He was younger in this photo, large and affable in appearance. He had a kind smile on his face, rosy red cheeks and freckles across his nose. He sported curly blond hair that ran to his shoulders and a short beard of the same color. He wore round glasses that accentuate his round face, making him appear kinder and even angelic in a way. Oh, how he missed Henry so much.

But he knew Henry did not feel the same. He remembered the last things the man said to him, the look of disgust and sorrow on his face the last time their eyes locked. Henry hated him, and he couldn’t deny that it was deserved. In his quest for power and immortality he had hurt him the most out of anyone, destroying his life and family beyond repair, and ruining their friendship.

But none of that mattered now. He needed to continue his work, find a way to live on despite what others thought of him. He didn’t want anyone, didn’t need anyone. He was fine on his own. He scowled at the photo, spitting on the tile of the lobby, and made his way to the upper floor in which the offices sat. 

He stumbled through the hall, looking for Jeremy’s number- 213. He passed by many doors, grabbing onto their handles for support. He finally made it to the office, slamming the door wide open and dashing towards the computer. He turned it on, his heart racing as it booted up. He could feel the life draining from the body, telling him he didn’t have much time left. He needed to act fast now.

As soon as it was turned on, he opened the beta of the game, preparing himself to go back into it’s code, a lonely and strange labyrinth. He picked up the headset, slowly and carefully pulling it over his face. Just as he was about to let go, the body jerked to the side, forcing him to throw the headset back on the counter. Jeremy was actively battling for control, fronting alongside Malhare. He needed to make sure he couldn’t return back to the game at any cost. He stumbled backwards to keep him away from the system, growling at the demon, “You’re coming down with me, whether you like it or not!” he cried out.

Malhare fought for control back, taking control of Jeremy’s limbs. He could only watch in horror as Malhare forced him to walk back to the computer, “I need to do this, no matter what you want! It’s over, Jeremy!” he hissed. He reached out for the headset, his fingers nearly grasping it, as Jeremy gained control back once more. He flung himself back towards his drafting table, hissing as his sore back smacked against the side of his guillotine paper cutter. 

He leaned against the table to gain his composure, feeling the life drain from him and his body fail. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground, his body shaking in pain. He needed to remain in control until his final breath, something he knew was coming soon. He tried to focus all of his energy into staying in control, but he felt himself slipping. Malhare was angry, furious even. He wanted Jeremy to suffer horribly now, and he had a horrible idea. The paper cutter caught his eye; a marvelous machine that could slice through practically anything with ease. An awful scheme came to mind. 

He spoke in a gravelly tone, “You’re a stubborn piece of shit, McConner… And if you really want to die that badly…” he paused. He took control over Jeremy’s limbs, forcing him to flip over facing the table. His head slammed onto the tray of the guillotine paper cutter, the cold groove of the cutting line hitting his cheek. Jeremy began to panic, trying his hardest to pull his body away from the device. But Malhare kept control over his form, keeping him pinned to the table. He began cranking the handle of the cutter higher and higher, the blade now at its peak. Jeremy watched in helpless horror as it glinted in the light of the computer screen. It was poised for his face, ready to slice it off in a flash. Malhare spoke one last time, “Your sacrifice will be for nothing…” he hissed. 

Malhare forced his hand to let go of the handle, sending the blade crashing down. The last thing Jeremy saw was the cold blade, a shaky gasp coming from his throat, just before everything went black.

XX

A sleek, silver car pulled into the empty lot, Nora stepping out from it’s drivers side. She was earlier than everyone else as always, but she didn’t mind. She knew much needed to be done to finish up the game, and wanted to be able to get things done as quickly as possible. She was always a high achiever, wanting to do the best she could and let everyone know it. As she walked up to the entrance, she made sure she looked good. She smoothed out the fabric of her vibrant headscarf, making sure no wrinkles were still in it. She checked out her reflection in her phone screen, seeing her makeup was still perfectly done, and her outfit was still looking nice. She felt confident and prepared for the day, at least until she saw the door. 

It was shattered into itty bitty pieces, droplets of blood around the glass, a sign of a break in. Nora felt her heart jump into her throat, knowing something very bad had happened. The building had tons of important papers, equipment, and cash all throughout it. Chances were that this was a robbery, and it made her uneasy. She called Mikhail quickly, refusing to step in further until he picked up.

“Hey Nora! You need something?” he asked in a chipper tone, completely oblivious. Nora spoke in a low voice, “Mikhail, I think s-someone broke into the Faz Ent. building…”

Mikhail suddenly got more serious, “Nora, are you okay? What’s going on?”

Nora stepped gingerly over the broken glass and looked around, seeing no sign of anyone around. Her breath hitched, “T-the door is broken and there’s b-blood at the entrance…” she whispered. She cautiously walked in, stepping softly as to not draw attention to herself. She didn’t know what could be lurking around the corner. Mikhail was now very worried, “Nora, call the police and make sure you’re safe. I don’t want you getting hurt.” he demanded. 

Nora didn’t answer, continuing on through the building looking for what the source of the blood and broken door was. She hoped it was some animal from the woods nearby, breaking in to escape the cold air. She knew that had happened a few times before in other places. She entered the second floor, the one she worked on, seeing the lights on. Someone was there, “Mikhail?” she asked, her voice warbling, “T-there’s someone on our floor.” Mikhail’s tone became gruff, “Nora , PLEASE, get out of there.” 

Nora ignored him, continuing to walk through the hall. She stopped in front of Jeremy’s office, seeing him slumped forward in his chair. Help Wanted was booted up on his computer screen and his headset was on, though he wasn’t playing it. He looked as if he was sleeping. She was even more unnerved. On top of the sights she had seen, Jeremy was never in this early, not like this. Something was wrong, she could feel it. 

She scanned the room further, trying to make out what was going on in the dark. It looked like ink was spilled everywhere, likely from something on his graphing desk. It looked like it had been moved, after all. It was all over the table, the floor, and his clothing. What was even more curious was the mask on the floor, something that looked straight out of a halloween shop. What did he even need that for? Why was it here? She made a face, stepping around it as she made her way towards him. She placed a hand on his shoulder, a jolt going through her body as she felt him. He was freezing cold, his body practically made of ice. Great fear pulsed through her body as the worst case scenario ran through her head.

“Jeremy…?” she whispered cautiously. She turned his chair to face her and gently lifted the VR set from his face, trying to see if he was awake and alert. Mikhail was still on the other line, waiting for her to respond to him, getting anxious at the silence,”Nora what’s happening?” he asked frantically. He was getting even more worried by the second, already making his way out the door to go check on the building. 

Nora pulled the VR headset off of Jeremy, feeling her world begin to spin around her at the full sight of him. She gasped in fear, running back until she hit his desk, crying out as she felt her hands dip into blood on the table. She looked down at her hands and the floor, seeing just how bad the situation was. She felt nausea creep up her throat, hot tears stinging her eyes. She dropped her phone, trembling, and began to scream. The shrill noise echoed throughout the empty building and her phone speaker, signalling something horrible, something despicable had happened. A new era of terror had fallen upon Hurricane once more, one worse than the last. 


	12. Your Happiest Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An ethereal field, painful memories, and a strange new friend... Jeremy again finds himself confused by his surroundings, and with an opportunity to make everything right again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for mentions of the guiilotine paper cutter incident

A gentle breeze washed over Jeremy’s face, awaking him from his slumber. His body rested upon something soft and comforting, something he couldn’t just yet make out. His body was weightless and ethereal, no longer belonging to the mortal realm. Where was he? What was this place? He needed to know, he begged to know.

He lifted himself up, finding himself sitting in a beautiful field. A soft gasp escaped his mouth as he looked out upon the world in front of him. He was sitting under the shade of a giant weeping willow, looking out upon a field of tall grass and wildflowers that swayed in the wind. It seemed to go on out for miles, never ending beauty all laid out for him. It was the most gorgeous thing he had ever seen. His heart softened at the sight, the scene captivating him. Soft music, just barely audible to him, played out and soothed his mind. Just as he had come to that peace, an awful, vile thought came to his mind. If he was here, wherever this was, he was dead. 

He looked around frantically, looking for anyone or anything he could recognize. A landmark or sign that he was back home in Hurricane. But there was nothing. Just him under that tree alone. He felt his heart tighten, tears well in his eyes as reality struck him. He was really dead and alone. He thought about how it all happened, holding his face in agony as he remembered the blade and the pain that came with it; the lack of control over his body as he was forced to watch his face be severed from his body. It made him sick. Malhare, William morelike, was horrible and ruthless, making sure that his victims never went peacefully. Jeremy was just another person added to the growing pile.

The memory of it all crashed a wave of sorrow and guilt into him. He curled up, his knees close to his chest, and cried. An endless stream of tears poured down his face, the noises he made sounding choked and strained. He made a promise that he would protect his family and the people in his town, and now he couldn’t. Malhare was still alive and ready to attack, and his death was for nothing. He failed to kill the demon off and now it was back into the system, waiting patiently for a new host. He knew he couldn’t do anything, and it broke him. He continued weeping, his tears pooling at his feet.

“Jeremy? Jeremy McConner?” 

His head shot up, his heart beating fast as he heard his name get called out. He looked around for the source, wiping the tears from his eyes to see better. He saw nothing around him but the tree. The soft and soothing voice came out again, whispering to him, “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you…” it assured him. It sounded rather kind and sweet, like someone he could trust. He felt safe, somehow.

His eyes grew wide as an unnerving figure walked out from behind the tree, one he didn’t think fit with that kind voice. A large, black robotic bear loomed over him. It wore a red top hat and bow, a shining gold star brandished on their chest. They had a single, bright gold eye that stared down at him, the other socket hollow and half lidded. As unnerving as it’s looks may be, Jeremy felt almost serene in it’s presence. It truly had a benevolent and kind aura, and he trusted it.

The bear spoke again, their voice barely a whisper, “May I sit with you?” Jeremy blinked, snapping out of his trance. He nodded quickly and spoke, “O-of course….”

The bear gently sat down, looking straight forward at nothing in particular, “I’ve been watching you Jeremy… I’ve been watching you closely.” Jeremy looked unnerved, biting his lip, “How do you even know me?’ he sniffled and wiped his face again, “Are you friends with Malhare, or-”

The bear looked angry even hearing the name, “Quite the opposite. A… friend of mine and I have been keeping close tabs on him. Trying to make sure he didn’t hurt anyone else…” they sighed, defeated, “I guess we were too late for that….” 

They turned to Jeremy, “I’m sure you know who he really is, correct?” Jeremy nodded.

“My friend and I were victims of him as well. I know how it feels to just have everything stripped from you, your life ending before it even felt like it began.” they put a hand over the star on their chest, “I was the first of us all, the first one to be killed for his own means. I wanted to make sure that any other victims of his, anyone hurt by him, could get their revenge and keep others safe from that demon.” the bear gave him a sincere look, “And that’s why I’m here talking to you…”

Jeremy tensed up, backing away from the bear ever so slightly. He looked unnerved, “I… who are you? What are you doing?” he didn’t trust this creature, and he didn’t know what it wanted. For all he knew, this could be another trick of Malhare’s, another creature intent on destroying his life even further, to torture him in death just as he was in life.

The bear held up a reassuring hand, sensing his unease and distrust, “It’s alright, Jeremy. You’re safe here.” they held out a hand, “You may call me Lefty. And I’m here to give you the ultimate opportunity.” They patiently waited for Jeremy to reach out, trying to be understanding of his fear.

Jeremy reluctantly took Lefty’s hand, feeling the hard plasticine fingers wrap around his own. It felt unnerving, a texture he didn’t like. He looked at them skeptically, “Malhare offered me an ‘ultimate opportunity’... how do I know this isn’t some kind of trick?”

Lefty sighed, trying to understand the man and be patient, “My offer is far different from that demon’s, Jeremy…” They looked off again, seemingly entranced by something Jeremy could not see, “I watched how hard you fought, how much you cared for your son.” a soft smile appeared on Lefty’s face as they reminisced, “That fatherly love is something admirable… it reminds me of someone dear to me..” they mused. Jeremy stood silent for a moment, trying to take this all in.

“ You’re a good man, Jeremy…” they paused for a moment, “And you are too vengeful to move on, that much I know.”

Jeremy furrowed his brow, “What do you mean by that?” he looked fearful for a moment, “What, am I going to be stuck in purgatory or some shit because of this?”

Lefty shook their head, “No, no… I knew many souls who felt their lives were unfairly stolen, souls who couldn’t move on. Their deaths were sudden and tragic, much like yours, and they were angry at the person who took it from them. I am one of them, as are you. I wanted revenge on the person who hurt me and so many others...” Lefty looked at Jeremy intently, “And I have an opportunity for you to get that revenge on him… and maybe you can be the one to end him once and for all. My friend and I have tried so many times to no success, but I believe you can do it.”

Jeremy looked uncertain. He knew Lefty was right, and he knew he wanted revenge on Malhare. He wanted to make sure he was dead and gone, unable to hurt Gregory or anyone else. But he wasn’t sure that he trusted Lefty just yet. He didn’t even know what Lefty wanted to do with him, how he was going to let him get this revenge. He needed to know.

He looked at the bear solemnly, “Before I …. died, I promised my son that no matter what happened to me, I would be there to protect him… If I’m not there and Malhare gets loose again I’m sure he will continue to target Gregory. I can’t allow that to happen.” he nodded, resolute in his decision, “Whatever you need me to do to keep him safe and get my revenge for what he has done to my family, I will do it. I don’t know who you are, or if I trust you, but if you will allow me to save someone I hold so dear to me, I will do anything.”

Lefty’s eyes opened a little wider, taken by surprise at Jeremy’s eagerness, “I can see this is important to you… But I will warn you that protecting Gregory will come with a price. Once you take this next step, there is no turning back. What you will do is permanent, and you can never take it back. The only way out is painful… I should know.” they looked more solemn, clutching a hand to their chest, “But if this is what you want, if you want to keep fighting before you move on, I will help you. So I will ask you one more time- is this what you want?”

Jeremy nodded, a serious expression taking over his face, “I made a promise to keep him safe- one I will keep even in death. I don’t care what that means for me… I’m dead now, and I can try to accept that. But I won’t let anything happen to Greg…. So whatever, this is, I’ll do it, Lefty.”

Lefty nodded silently, proud that Jeremy was willing to do anything for his son. It reminded them of someone they knew and loved many years ago, someone they hoped to see once they finally moved on to the other side as well. Lefty held out their hands in front of them, an orb of glowing light appearing in between their fingers. Jeremy watched closely, squinting his eyes as the rays glowed. They died down, leaving a small white present box in Lefty’s hands. A beautiful crimson ribbon was wrapped around it, tying it shut. Lefty looked up at Jeremy with a smile, while he looked confused, “Lefty, what is this?” he asked.

Lefty looked lovingly at the box, “The gift of life… Once you take it, you will return to life back on Earth, in a new form that will allow you to protect your son. Once you untie the ribbon, the deal is sealed and you will return.” Jeremy reluctantly took the box, suddenly having second thoughts about all of this. It was one thing to say he would do this, but to actually go through with it scared him. He felt uneasy, rubbing the red ribbon between his fingers as he contemplated what to do. 

Lefty gave him a sympathetic look, “Jeremy, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. This is a big decision, and no one would think of you any differently if you decided to move on. This is your choice, and your choice alone.” they scanned Jeremy’s expression, looking for any change.

Jeremy took a deep breath, feeling his chest tighten in anxious expectation as he gripped the red ribbon, “I told you I made a promise…” he closed his eyes and sighed, “I’ll see you soon, kiddo…” he whispered. Without another thought, he pulled tightly on the ribbon, watching the ethereal world around him fade to darkness, disappearing as he returned to Earth. He didn’t know what he would return as, or where, but he hoped it would be his own body, returning to his own life. That’s all he wanted now. He wanted to go back home, see his family, make amends with Lori and make themselves whole again; to restart their family as normal again and move on in life. He hoped that with this second chance he could do so, and thought of them as he returned back to the mortal plane, 

He opened his eyes, seeing only darkness in front of him. He felt giddy, his body feeling shaky as he realized he was alive again, back on Earth. Oh, how happy he was to know he was back and alive. But where he was and what he was, he didn’t know. He was surrounded in a crushing darkness, hardly able to make out anything in front of him. He couldn’t hear a single sound, nothing except for the faint buzzing of what seemed to be neon lights. 

He stepped around carefully, shuffling his feet on the floor to make sure he didn’t fall. The flooring was wooden, based on the texture and the creaking he heard. Why he wasn’t wearing shoes, he had no idea, but that was a mystery to solve later. He came to a ledge, freezing in place to make sure he didn’t fall. He brushed his foot around until he felt something beneath him, realizing there were stairs coming down from wherever he was standing. He assumed wherever he was must be some kind of theater, and he was brought back to a stage. But why would Lefty bring him there of all places? They were a strange creature to be sure; unpredictable and ominous.

Jeremy continued walking down the stairs, feeling his feet meet a plush carpet. He put his hands out in front of him, walking slowly to make sure there were no sudden dips in the floor and nothing obstructing his path. He was happy to see it was clear, and even more happy to see a crack of light in front of him. He could just barely make out a doorway, seeing a soft purple glow come from the crack separating the doors. He walked faster, almost breaking into a run. He needed to see where he was, what he looked like, what was going on. He threw his arms out in front of him, slamming the door open, hearing the metal bang against the wall. 

He looked out in front of him in awe at what was there. He was standing on a balcony ledge, two sets of stairs on either side of him. The floor was covered in shiny dark purple tiles, and fake palm trees lined the staircases going down. At the bottom of the stairs in the middle of the cavity they created, stood a large gold statue of Glamrock Freddy, leaning back and singing passionately into his microphone. Fountains with neon spotlights sat near the front of the lobby near the turnstiles. On either side of the room stood doorways, some leading to rides and restaurants, some to gift shops, and some to rooms he couldn’t recognize. Large banners of four animatronics hung on the walls, all of them passionately performing and smiling wide. Faint, jingly music could be heard echoing throughout the room, the song being one he didn’t recognize. Jeremy felt absolutely dwarfed looking at the size of everything. 

“This is…” he muttered, immediately stopping. That voice, it wasn’t his, but he recognized it. He heard it somewhere before, but from where he couldn’t remember. All he knew now was this wasn’t his body, this wasn’t truly him. He rushed down the stairs, running to the flowing fountains in desperation. They were the only things closest to a mirror in this room, and he needed to know what he was, what he looked like. 

He put two hands on either side of the pool's edge and closed his eyes, dreading looking into the water. He leaned over the fountain, hearing the rushing of water, and felt more at peace. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, his heart sinking immediately. Two bright blue eyes looked back at him; fake, robotic eyes belonging to the bear displayed on that poster. Except now, that bear was him, his new form.

That was him.

  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED IN ARC 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy you've made it to the end! Make sure to watch out for the release of arc 2 which should drop early March or late February. Thank you for the love and support!


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